The Order Of Darth Traya Volume I
by jman007
Summary: There must always be a darth traya... One who has been betrayed and will betray in turn... these words stuck with me and so the name and title darth traya is passed down from master to apprentice Atris is the next Darth Traya in line enjoy I would appreciate reviews
1. Chapter 1

Chapters

The Jedi Council

Atris

Politics

The New Darth Traya

The Power of Knowledge

The Arquillions

Visitor

The Long Journey

Empire

Revan's Last Stand

Footsteps of the Exile

Bastilla's Sorrow

Sith Love

New Recruits

The training of Darth Arachni

Death List

Darth Caos

The Fett bloodline

Kreia

The Corruption of Master Pathos

The Rise of Darth Patheon

Spies

War of the Sith Lords

Insurrection

There Must Always Be A Darth Traya

Persona

Atris/Darth Traya (Human female; Sith Lord and heir to the title Darth Traya)

Bastilla Shan (Human Female; Grand Master of the Jedi)

Visas Marrs (Meriluka female; Jedi Master/Member of the Jedi Council)

Bao Durr (Male Zabrak; Jedi Master/Member of the Jedi Council)

Ynarr Ki Lazz (Twi'lek Male; Jedi Master/Member of the Jedi Council)

Brianna (Echani human female; Jedi Master/Member of the Jedi Council)

Kaban Sathar (Arquillion Male; Clan Lord)

Darth Arachni (Male Arachnoid; Sith Lord)

Victor Balhorn III (Human Male; Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic)

Yuri Pathos/Darth Patheon (Human male; Jedi Master/Sith Lord)

Kreia (Human female; Daughter of Darth Traya/Sith apprentice)

Julion Van Mont (Human Male; Senator of Onderon)

Carth Onasi (Human Male; Galactic Fleet Admiral)

Darth Zoarn (Human male; Sith Lord/Leader of the Sith Remnant forces)

Mandar Fett (Mandalorian Male; Last Surviving member of the Fett Clan Bounty Hunter/Mercenary)

Chapter 1. The Jedi Council

The war was over or that was consensus going around the galaxy; the Mandalorian Wars were over, Darth Malak was dead and Revan had redeemed himself by defeating his former apprentice, the Sith Lords Darth Sion, Traya, and Nihilus were also dead. The remnant of the Sith army was being hunted down by Admiral Carth Onasi and the Galactic Fleet; at the center of it all the new Supreme Chancellor was making good on his promises of restoration, law, and order. The galaxy was in need of peace and quiet and Grand Master Jedi Bastilla Shan had vowed she would insure it would happen. Bastilla had accepted the position from Master Vandarr who had retired to aid his friends Master Vrook and the other Jedi. Masters Vrook, Zez Ki El, and Kavar were stripped of the force by Darth Traya or Kreia as she was called at the time when they themselves tried to strip the exile Kailen Star of the force. Master Vandarr had given up the position in order to help his friends reconnect with the force if such a thing was possible; ("If the exile could do it through a Sith Lord than so can I…") the old Jedi Master had said.  
>So it was up to Bastilla and the new Jedi Council to restore the Jedi order, ("Beware young Bastilla the Sith like the Jedi is an idea that cannot be easily destroyed… We have not seen the last of the Sith…") These words echoed through the mind of Bastilla Shan who stood in the window of the council chambers looking out over the city. Those words were spoken to Bastilla by Vandarr before he left on his journey and she was starting to believe them. History had a strange way of repeating itself; Exar Kunn and Ulic Kel Drama had both fallen to the dark side and like Revan and Malak after them friend had betrayed friend in an attempt at redemption.<p>

"Master Shan…" Came the voice of Jedi Master Bao Durr from behind, "…Everyone is waiting on you…"

She turned to look at the Zabrak and gave him a reassuring smile, "Forgive me…" She said it even loader so that everyone could hear her, "Forgive me everyone…" She said returning to her seat; the council chambers had a glass wall that gave a view of the city. The floor was decorated by twelve point star with designs in the hollow center of the star. The seats the masters sat in were evenly spaced around the circular room.

"There is nothing to forgive…" Said Jedi Master Visas Marrs, "…You are grand master… you are allowed to take whatever time you need to gather your thoughts…" Visas was a blind maraluka and once the apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus now a servant of the light and the most powerful Jedi in the order, some whispered she was even more powerful than Master Vandarr; which is one of the reasons Bastila thought she should be the leader of the council.

"Your thoughts betray you Grand Master…" said Jedi Master Ynarr Ki Lazz, "…You were thinking of Revan again…"  
>She let the accusation pass, Ynarr was against her being grand master because of her fall to the dark side and he took pleasure in trying to show her up or expose a weakness.<br>"…In this Master Lazz you are incorrect… I was thinking on something Master Vandarr told me… He said Beware young Bastilla the Sith like the Jedi is an idea that cannot be easily destroyed… We have not seen the last of the Sith… His words have affected me more than I'd like to admit… and I feel something is brewing in the galaxy…"

"We all know the future is always changing…" said Master Jahanni the Cathar Female. "We can't dwell on things that have not happened yet…"

"The future is affected by the decisions we make now… I hope we make the right ones…" Bastilla said in a grim voice.  
>"What decisions have we made that will bring doom to the galaxy?" Master Brianna asked who was a female Echani warrior and once a servant of Master Atris.<p>

Bastilla let out a deep breath, "For one the nomination of Supreme Chancellor Balhorn…"

["We weren't the ones who endorsed him…"] said Master Gaffeen a male Selkath and although he spoke Selkath everyone understood him, ["…it was Master Vandarr and Master Pathos who endorsed him…"]

"I don't trust him!" Bastilla replied vehemently, "He has refused giving us funds in order to rebuild the Jedi order and he has blocked our investigation into Czerka Corporations ties to the sith…"

"I understand your frustration grand master… but there is a reason Masters Vandar and Pathos indorsed him… we must use the force to weed out the politically corrupt…" These words came from Master Visas Marrs.

The other masters agreed by nodding their heads, "Well…" said Bastilla, "…if you are all in agreement I'd like to go ahead and investigate Czerka corporation anyway…"

"Behind the chancellor's back…" Master Lazz asked accusingly.

"Yes… and I want to begin proceedings to have Balhorn removed from office and to support someone like Senator Julion Van Mont for office…"

"Something like this has never been done in the history of the order… Balhorn has powerful friends in the Senate…" Lazz declared.

"I know, but I have a plan…" For the next hour or more Bastilla outlined her plan to the other masters. A plan that involved allowing Balhorn to fail in issues that would require support from the Jedi council and take away his political power by supporting causes he is against like allowing the Selkath government to become apart of the republic.  
>Everyone praised Bastila's plan even Master Lazz, "Very impressive Master Shan… you just might make a decent grand master after all…"<p>

Once again she ignored him and his remarks, "Now my friends we need to address the business of Master Atris…" When Bastilla mentioned the Jedi chronicler's name a few of the masters became uneasy.  
>"With all due respect grand master… I believe she is a lost cause…" Brianna said, "…Let her remain in exile."<p>

"I can't believe you of all people would say such a thing Master Brianna… especially about one you have served… if I a former apprentice of Darth Nihilus can turn then why not give Master Atris the same consideration…"

"That was different… you were raised by this Darth Nihilus to believe in the dark side… Atris was born and bred into the order and for her to attack me and order my own sisters too…"

["Peace Master Brianna… I sense much anger in you…"] Dainor said.

"There is no emotion… there is peace…" Brianna said reciting the first lines of the Jedi code, "…please forgive my outburst."

"We should test her…" said Mia Shale speaking up, "…and if Master Atris passes our test… we should welcome her back into our ranks…"

"As what…" Lazz asked, "…Before she fell she was a member of this council."

"All the positions on the council are full…" Visas said, "…If she passes the test then we allow her back into the order with the rank of Jedi Knight and appoint a master to watch over her… she must prove herself as we all have…"

Once again the masters nodded in agreement, "This is a delicate situation and it should be handled accordingly… therefore I request the council allow me to handle this matter…" Bao Durr said; one by one the masters agreed to Bao Durr's request.  
>"…Moving on to the business of the Sith remnant army." Bastilla said changing the conversation<p>

"Yes Admiral Onasi is waiting to give us a report on his latest efforts to route out the enemy…" Bao Durr said.

Bastilla pressed the button on her arm panel to tell the droid at the door to allow him in; the doors opened and in walked Carth Onasi Bastila's long time friend and ally. Carth Onasi had aided Bastilla and the reprogrammed Revan in locating the star maps so that the Republic fleet could destroy the star forge and defeat the sith. When Revan left for places unknown in the galaxy Carth had remained behind along with Bastilla in order to restore peace to the galaxy. Ever since then the two of them have worked together on many missions and projects and it was Carth who also backed Bastilla's position as grand master giving her a lot of clout with the military. Carth walked into a room of twelve Jedi Masters some of whom he knew and the rest he knew only by reputation; there was Bastilla Shan, Visas Marr, Bao Durr, Brianna, Juhanni, Ynarr Ki Lazz (Male Twi'Lek), Gaffeen Satel, Laon Tunell (human male), Dainor Rimjall (Ithrion male), Fiorra Hinn (Falleen Female), Gallo Helm, (human male), and Mia Shale

"Welcome Admiral Onasi… it is good to see you well…" Bastilla said.

He smiled, "And you Grand Master Bastilla… it has been too long…" Before giving his report he gave Master Juhanni a special greeting because she had also aided them against Darth Malak and then he greeted the others.

"I have my report on the fleet's efforts against the sith remnant… our intelligence units have uncovered the hidden sith fortress they have been operating out of… we plan to strike it within the next nine days Corusant time… My generals would like to request the presence of a Jedi Master to lead the battle… more specifically we are requesting the presence of Master Shan."

"Bastilla Shan is grand master of the Jedi order… you can't expect her to get involved with something as trivial as hunting down sith grunts…" Lazz objected.

"Master Lazz I am more than capable of speaking for myself…" When Bastilla turned her attention to Carth she could see the plea for help in his eyes and the emotion emanating from him, "What exactly do you think I can accomplish… my battle meditation can certainly win you the battle, but battle meditation can be a two edged sword… it can push a normal soldier beyond his normal abilities and at the same time a non-force user can become to over dependent upon it…"

"I understand that… and I have my personal reasons for asking… those being enough life has been lost… with your battle meditation backing us the more lives will be spared and you can tell us if there is a dark sider among them…"

Bastilla was about to respond when Visas spoke up, "There is another way… I can go… I have the power to put a quick end to your battle… that's if the council supports my going…"

Slowly but surely the council members agreed, but Bastilla could tell Carth was disappointed, "I thank the Jedi council members for their support in this matter… I have another matter to discuss with the council, but I'd prefer if it was off the record…"

A wave of concern swept across the faces of the council members and it was Bastilla who switched off the recorder.

"What's this about admiral?" Master Lazz asked.

"Are we…"

"No… you may speak freely…"

Carth adopted a more relaxed posture and continued, "Before I came to the Jedi temple the supreme chancellor asked me to come to his office… where he asked me to put together a special control unit… the purpose of this unit is to seek out force sensitive individuals and place them in concentration camps…" If the council members were angry they didn't show it.

"For what purpose?" Fiorra Hinn asked.

"In his words to insure the stability and safety of the galaxy by keeping a tight reign on who is selected to join the Jedi order… So that no one else falls to the dark side he wants to implement psycho-naptic hypno treatments to insure their loyalty to the republic and your order…"

"Aren't those treatments still in the experimental stage…" Bao Durr asked.

["They are… Dr. Taduraph has asked me to help him in his research…"] Gaffeen said.

"What was your answer…" Visas asked.

"I told him I would think about it… I know several people from my home world who would make candidates for the order and the thought of having them brainwashed…"

"Well if it keeps the sith from rising in the galaxy…" Brianna said.

"Master Brianna do you realize what you are saying?" Lazz asked in disbelief.

"I do… it is a historical fact that the sith were birthed from the Jedi order and that they went to war against the order because our predecessors banished them… now lets take the government out of the equation and we the master council implement this plan ourselves…"

"I can't believe my ears…"

That is when Bastilla stood up and started pacing, "Grand Master… grand master you seriously can't be considering… Master Brianna's proposal…" Lazz said.

"I don't like this either…" Bao Durr said. "…It goes against everything we as Jedi stand for…"

Bastilla stopped pacing and turned her attention to Carth, "…Admiral is there any reason to believe the supreme chancellor would expect you to come to us with this information?"

Carth had to think about it, "No… as a matter of fact he threatened to have me replaced if I didn't come back to him with the right answer…"

Bastilla smiled, "…Tell him you will do it…"

"Master Shan…" Bao Durr said in disbelief.

She raised her hand to stop him and any one else who had an objection; she sat in her chair and explained why she wanted Carth to accept the chancellor's offer. Bastilla explained that Carth doing what the chancellor wanted would work in their favor by exposing his plan and painting it in bad light. "…If the chancellor thinks Carth is behind him he may even let his guard down… We will make this look like a personal attack against the Jedi order…"

"I see… if the chancellor thinks the military is behind him we can out maneuver him and at the same time make him look like the bad guy…"

"Yes… all must be done in unison… Master Gaffeen you will leave for Mannan immediately… Master Durr whatever you plan to do about Master Atris do it quickly… Master Juhanni I want you to go to Kashyyyk… Find Jedi Master Jolee Bindo and aid him in his efforts to convince the wookies to join us… I have a meeting with the supreme chancellor today… so if there are no further topics to discuss meeting adjourned…"

Most of the masters left the council chambers and it was Juhanni, Visas, and Carth who remained with Bastilla in chambers.

"Bastilla I'm no fan of Chancellor Balhorn, but your plan could backfire…" Carth said in concern.

"I thank you for your concern Carth but what other choice do I have… at every turn Balhorn has blocked our efforts to rebuild the order…"

"And with good reason…" Visas said, "…Everyone here… left in this chamber has struggled with the dark side in one form or another…"

"But we all overcame that… and turned from the dark side…" Juhanni said.

"Public opinion is against us as well many people think we are no better than the sith…" Visas replied.

"We need to change that…" Bastilla sighed, "…We will put out holo-pamphlets on how the Jedi want to protect and serve…"

"That may not be enough…" Carth said, "…things are bad and no one has forgotten what Revan and Malak did…"

"Things are bad and we will make them right… Master Visas I'd like to appoint a holo-news droid to accompany you and document our efforts against the sith remnant army…"

"Agreed… perhaps we should do that with all our active members…"

Juhanni stirred, "I should get going I have a long journey ahead and Jolee Bindo to deal with…" They all laughed.

"Bastilla I hate to ask, but have you heard from Revan?" Carth's question stopped Juhanni in her tracks.

"At last no I haven't, but I know in my heart he still lives…"

"At the next meeting we should bring up the subject of Revan and exploring the unknown regions…" Juhanni said.

When Bastilla said nothing more on the subject Juhanni left. "We should get going as well…" Visas said.

"It was good to see you again Carth…"

"Same here Bastila…"

"May the force be with you…"

Bastila sat alone in the council chambers thinking of Revan; the two Jedi had fallen in love during there adventures together as Padawan and she was looking forward to the day he would return and they would be together again. She would retire from the order and build a life with Revan, but first she had to deal with the supreme chancellor and putting the order back together. Bastilla summoned her apprentice a young man by the name of Norren Bune who like Bastilla wielded a double edge light saber.

Bao Durr was a master mechanic and engineer besides being a Jedi Master his private meditation room was filled with new ship designs blue prints for massive battle machines he called juggernauts and a new power core system something he called electro-fusion. Bao Durr was a master of the dual blades and he wielded two light sabers with blue energy blades; a concert swordsman Bao Durr was second only to Brianna when it came to light saber combat. Bao Durr sat at a workstation refining his design for the new capital class star ships; he planned to sell the designs to Aratech corporation and use the funds to support the Jedi order. He also was waiting for his apprentice whom he had summoned to his chambers five minutes ago. Bao Durr smiled because he could feel his apprentice approaching; the doors swooshed open and in walked a slender red skinned female Twi'lek. She entered the meditation room and looked around, it always amazed her how her master could start so many projects at the same time.

"Master… I apologize if you have been waiting long…"

"No need to apologize you arrived at the time the force meant for you to arrive…" He replied without looking at her.

"Would you say the same thing master if I had taken an hour to come to you…"

Bao Durr smiled because he liked his padawan's to ask such question it was a way to train his apprentices how to think. "Yes… there are no excuses one should be prepared for things out of the ordinary and at the same time there are things in life we can't control…"

"But master we are Jedi those rules don't apply to us…"

"Yes we have it in ourselves to bend the galaxy to our will, but that is the path of a sith… a Jedi adapts to his or her surroundings…"

"I see… so I arrived at the time the force meant me to arrive…"

"Exactly my padawan…" he finally looked at his padawan and as usual she was dressed in a tight skimpy outfit although he had insisted she wear the traditional robes of a padawan in training. "Lose the robe and find a convenient but inconspicuous place to hide your light saber…"

She smiled, "A mission master…"

"One of secrecy… we are going down to the lower levels…"

Her excitement dwindled when her master mentioned the lower levels because there were less than two hundred Jedi in the galaxy not including the masters and younglings. The Jedi were spread throughout the galaxy keeping the peace and reestablishing relations with worlds or trying to convince new ones to join the republic. This meant that some places in the galactic republic went a long time without the presence of a Jedi and that made the crime rate rise and go unchecked; the lower levels were no different and for a Jedi to go without support from the military would be bad especially if they were discovered.

"You are not afraid are you Padawan Deila?"

She took a deep breath, "No master…"

"Good trust in the force and follow my lead… hmm…" He looked her up and down, "…Alright place your robe in this… and hide your light saber, but keep it handy in this…" She placed her robe in a duffle bag he gave her and hid her light saber in an arm gauntlet she took from him.

Bao Durr was already wearing military issue boots and a mechanic's shirt with suspenders; he hid his light sabers in a special compartment inside his false arm, "Come let's go…"

Together they left the Jedi temple through the servant's entrance and headed south east. They had gone twelve blocks when Deila sensed someone following them.

"Master we are being followed…"

Bao Durr grunted, "I know… agents of the supreme chancellor…"

"But why would he send spies to follow us…"

He sighed, "Fear… fear makes people do stupid things…" As he kept a normal pace he turned his head towards her, "And how should we handle these agents without harming them…"

"Well master… the jedi mind trick won't work they have been trained against that so… I would say we would have to use their own desires against them…"

"And what would those desires be… padawan…"

"Well considering they are following us I would say their main desire would be to follow us and find out what we are up too…"

"Good then use the desire and make them see what we want them to see…"

Bao Durr's force abilities went from lifting objects twenty times his size to the unique ability of redirecting energy directed towards him. He could also use the force to heal his injuries hold his breath for hours and he was a master of the force aura technique and projecting force images into people's minds something not common among Jedi but a lesson he was trying to pass on to his apprentice.

When Bao Durr said she could try she became excited, "Me master…"

"Yes remember what I taught you don't go beyond the target feelings… now stretch out with your feelings and get these agents off our backs…"

Under Bao Durr's supervision Deila reached out with her mind to the two men following them and in a matter of seconds located the feelings she was looking for and drawing on those emotions she gave shape to two force illusions of herself and her master.

"Very impressive now hold the image and lead them away from us…"

With the focus of a master Deila led the two agents down another street and away from them; she held the image until they were blocks away then she let it go.

"Not bad but we are not out of danger…"

"How so master…"

"If you were the supreme chancellor and you sent two agents against Jedi to spy what would you do to insure success…"

"I suppose I would send…"

"A droid…" He said finishing her sentence, "…We need to split up I will handle the droid… meet me at the hover-vator…"

"Yes master… and Deila when we reach the lower levels don't refer to me as master…"

"Yes… uh… sir…"

With that they separated from each other and the droid followed Bao Durr, but when he turned down an ally the droid lost him. Across the city Deila had arrived at the hover-vator a large elevator that led to the lower levels of Coruscant. The elevator was free for those who couldn't afford a shuttle to the lower levels. The hover-vator was monitored by republic battle droids to maintain order. Deila had been waiting for over an hour for her master to arrive so she spent her time practicing her force illusion technique on the people passing by unconcerned because she could feel her master was alright.

"Hi baby you're a fine peace of head tail… How much?" asked a human male.

Deila smiled, "…Your not looking to pay for love… you want to straighten your life out and look for a meaningful relationship…" She replied using her Jedi mind powers.

"You know what I apologize for my behavior… I think I'm going to straighten my life out and look for a meaningful relationship…" the man replied.

"Good for you sir… I know you can do it…"

"I know you can do it…" he repeated and walked off.

Deila waited for another twelve minutes before Bao Durr joined her, "I'm sorry I got held up…"

"You don't have too apologize master… you arrived when the force meant for you to arrive…"

They entered the hover-vator without incident or drawing unnecessary attention to themselves and found a corner seat to sit in while they made the stomach turning drop down to the lower levels.

"What did you do with the droid... Sir…" Deila asked breaking the silence.

"I hit it with an ion grenade and reprogrammed it…"

She made a tisk tisk sound, "Reprogramming a government droid is against the law…"

"Only if you get caught…"

She looked around the hover-vator to make sure no one was trying to listen in or read their lips, "You never actually said what our mission was…"

He snuck a peek around the hover-vator as well, "…Because of our opposition with the supreme chancellor the jedi council has to take drastic measures… One of the ways we are fighting back is going to Telos and pick up Master Atris…"

"I thought she was exiled?"

"She is…"

"But how does bringing back Master Atris gain us the advantage over the supreme chancellor…"

"I will tell you later…"

They got of at street level three and headed east up the street; when they turned the corner after twelve blocks the streets became less crowded. The two companions walked for another twenty-five blocks and turned right walking until they came to the red gaming district their destination was the asteroid cantina. Inside the cantina was filled with people of all types of species some recognizable and others from worlds and systems in unexplored regions of the outer rim or wild space. There was an insectoid looking creature popping up more and more in the galaxy called Verpine; another alien with a weird looking breath mask and goggles that covered his eyes he sat at the bar drinking a concoction that was probably deadly to humans. Bao Durr and Deila had to tread softly because they could sense that every patron in the cantina was armed in some fashion or another, most kept their weapons hidden while others were bolder and kept their weapons in plain sight.  
>The two Jedi went strait to the bar, "What can I get you…" asked the bar tender.<p>

"I like a Coreillian ale…" Deila said, but Bao Durr gave her a disciplining look.

Bao Durr tossed the man a credit chip worth fifty credits, "I'm looking for a man by the name of Atton Rand…"

"He's at the high stakes pazaak table…"

"Thank you…" Bao Durr replied as Deila accepted her drink.

Deila was in disbelief when she heard Jedi Master Atton Rand's name. Atton was a former assassin who fought in both the mandalorian and sith wars. When he met the exile; the exile recognized the force in him and taught him the ways of the force. Eventually Atton became a Jedi master and helped the Jedi rebuild the order, but he refused a seat on the council. Instead of being on the council Atton wondered the galaxy helping out whenever he could, his tactics raised a few eyebrows, but the Jedi council always turned a blind eye to what he did. Atton sat at a half moon shaped table with seven other players four of which were human and the other three were aliens of different species. Two of the aliens had busted as well as three of the humans including the android dealer; the pot was up too three hundred thousand credits and Atton placed a new amount in the pot of two hundred thousand.

["Hit me…"] grumbled the Gamorrean in his rough language. The Gamorrean had split his hand and was standing on a nineteen and a fourteen he received a six which gave him a twenty. He gurgled a laugh and matched Atton's bid.  
>The pot was now at seven hundred thousand which caused the other player to drop out now it was just Atton and the Gamorrean. It was time for the two remaining players to reveal their hand. The Gamorrean put down his split hand first the nineteen then the twenty, a wave of ahs and oohs came from the onlookers observing the players; now it was Atton's turn to reveal his cards and when he revealed a perfect twenty-three the onlookers gave him a round of applause. The Gamorrean squealed in protest as Atton collected his winnings and when the Gamorrean had finished his railings he turned to Atton and offered him a hand.<p>

["Not bad… you are a master card player… I will have to play you again…"]

"I look forward to it…" Atton was still collecting his winnings when he sensed a familiar presence in the force, "…Only a hand full of people in the galaxy could get that close to me…" He turned to look at Bao Durr standing about a foot from him. "…Bao Durr what can I do for you?"

"I need to speak with you in private…"

"Alright give me a sec…" Atton turned to the young man at his left, "…Cash me out and meet me in the Atton room…" Bao Durr guessed the young man was his apprentice, "…Follow me…"

Atton lead them across the Cantina which was filled with patrons gambling, drinking or paying for some adult entertainment. There were those who watched the bollo ball game on the holo-viewer and others watched the swoop races on the holo-net. Atton lead them to an elevator that took them to the second floor of the cantina. The private room had Atton in red on the door monitor.

"The Atton room…" Bao Durr quarried.

"Hey when you have the run I have been having you can afford to splurge… the owner names the room after whoever rents them…" Atton placed his card into the door card key slot and entered. The room was spacious and luxurious well decorated with an array of server droids to wait on a patron hand and foot.

"Can we talk freely?" Bao Durr asked.

"Of course, but let me get a drink first… that was the hardest game of pazaak I've ever played…"

As Atton got his drink the door opened and the young man entered with a large silver case cuffed to his hand and two security droids following him. The droids left after he was safely inside the room, he greeted Deila and Bao Durr and afterwards sat the case on the table.

"I take it this is not a social visit…" Atton said sitting down and motioning them to do the same.

"I'm afraid not my friend…"

"Excuse my manners… Padawan Bairren Moor meet Jedi Master Bao Durr…"

They shook hands, "Master Durr… it is a pleasure I have heard many great things about you…"

"And this is my apprentice Deila Shyren…"

"It is an honor to meet you Master Rand…" Deila said enthusiastically.

He waved her off, "Please I hate titles call me Atton… Now what has the council's robes in a knot that you come down here looking for me?"

"Nothing much, but I have been commissioned by the council to bring Master Atris back here to Corusant…"

Atton had to sit back, "Is that wise considering…"

"Well we've decided to test her… if she passes the test we will allow her back into the order at the rank of Jedi Knight…"

"What if she fails?" Padawan Moor asked.

"She will be stripped of the force…"

"That's kind of harsh…" Atton said.

"Harsh, but necessary… I need a discreet transport to Telos… Do you still have the Hawk?"

Atton almost laughed, "You call the Ebon Hawk discreet? Never mind to answer your question yes I have her… but…"

"But what…"

"I kind of was already working on something…"

"What maybe we can kill two birds with one stone…"

"Slave traders… that originate with Senator Olang of Chandrila…"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive… I have evidence to take him down, but I decided to take down the entire ring customers and the transporters… that's why I was gambling… I have over five hundred million credits to buy into the good senator's operation…"

"Tread carefully my friend…"

Atton smiled, "Don't I always…"

Bao Durr looked at his padawan then he looked at Bairren Moor, "How close are you to making a move?"

"With my last win I am ready to start tomorrow…"

"Okay so why don't you and I head to Telos and we allow our apprentices to handle this…" Both Deila and Moor looked at each other; the excitement they both felt could not be contained and their masters could feel it.

"I don't know… I mean I've been working on this collar for the past three months… Do you believe your apprentice is capable…"

"She is very talented… She has learned her lessons well… I think she is ready for her first solo mission… What about your apprentice?"

"Moor he's a little head strong… sometimes he leaps before he looks… but he is after all studying under me so part of that is my fault perhaps working with your apprentice can polish him off…"

Bao Durr stood up, "Agreed then… Alright you two…" He addressed both padawans, "…You are going to have to work together on this don't take any unnecessary risks and watch each others backs…"

"Yes master…" They said at the time.

"Bairren knows the particulars of this mission find out who the buyers and sellers are and any other contacts or information you can find… don't make a move without our approval or if you can't reach us contact the jedi council… Master Brianna knows the facts of my operation consult with her and may the force be with you both…"

"And you as well Atton…" Moor said.

"Thank you master I won't fail you…" Deila said to Bao Durr.

Atton gave them their fake IDs, the number to the accounts they would need to access the credits, and the security codes to the ship they would use to travel in.

"You ready…" Atton asked after the two padawans left the room.

"I am always ready…"

Atton squared his debt away with the Cantina owner before they left the asteroid; then the two of them rode Atton's swoop bike up the street to the hanger where the Ebon Hawk was docked.

"Have you ever considered swoop bike racing with the way you drive…"

"You should see my padawan handle a swoop…"

Bao Durr was speechless because the Ebon Hawk was now black and gray, "You changed it…"

"Yes the old color and markings were too recognizable…"

A familiar whistle came from an astromech droid working on the hidden gun turret under the hall of the ship, "T3… you are looking well considering your age…" The droid whistled a reply.

"Yeah I decided to keep the little guy… after the exile left I figured this ship wouldn't be the same without him…"

Bao Durr looked around the freighter it had been completely upgraded since last he saw it, "What about that assassin droid…"

"I dismantled it… and sold off the parts… it wouldn't shut up about killing people… Hey T3 get her warmed up we need to get going…" Bao Durr was about to go up the ramp when Atton stopped him. "I have only felt small disturbances and heard rumors from my old friends serving in the fleet, but tell me are things really bad with the supreme chancellor?"

"More than I'd care to admit… I'll explain the council's plan to you on board…"

The two masters went up the ramp and after twelve minutes the ship took off transmitting the call sign the comet's run. It took an hour to leave the system and then the Hawk went to light speed.

Office of the Supreme Chancellor:

The supreme chancellor's office was decorated to fit his Corellian tastes from art to the decor of the office. The chancellor was a former Senator of Corellia and a member of the royal family; second cousin to the King on his Father's side and his brother served as senator of Corellia. Victor Balhorn the third was a man use to an extravagant life style and used his own family connections and wealth to live well beyond his salary as Supreme Chancellor. Balhorn had risen to power quickly a charismatic man he was the only Senator to speak out against Revan and Malak's war efforts without the support of the Jedi Council. He was living on the success of war heroes like Carth Onasi, the exile, and Commander Dotrin Nodeen; people who had fought tooth and nail to protect the Republic. He had made good on all his political promises, but his real agenda was to bring the Jedi order under control and he had promised the days of the sith were over. Balhorn was secretly working on a policy that would round up all force sensitive beings and place them in concentration camps, but first he had to win public support and his allies in the senate were busy doing that, then he had to get military support which he had since Carth Onasi agreed to aid him and then he could implement his plan; if everything worked he could make it public with or without the consent of the Jedi Council.

Balhorn stood in the window looking out over the city landscape; it was mid-day and he had just finished lunch with the head of the GRI (Galactic Republic Intelligence). He had tried to convince the GRI director of his plan, the director supported it, but secretly he was in league with Carth and the Jedi Council. Balhorn was on top of the world arrogantly believing he was outmaneuvering the Jedi council. He ignored the chime and swoosh of the door as his assistant Liorran Hapes entered the office.

"Sir… did you hear me? Jedi Master Bastilla Shan is waiting to see you…"

"I heard you…" he replied without turning to face her, "…Let her wait…"

"Begging your pardon sir, but antagonizing the grand master of the Jedi order is not the way to get them to cooperate with your new policy…"

He finally turned to face her, Liorran was a beautiful woman and although she was human her beauty rivaled that of the Twi'leks or the legendary Falleen race whose beauty no human could resist. Liorran was a Hapan and the Hapan people were isolationists which made the fact that Liorran living as a citizen of the Republic a commodity Balhorn could use to win over the Hapan people because so little was known about them. It would be a commodity if Liorran would reveal something about her people; she didn't speak of them or her past, but she was an asset to the chancellor. Liorran had the uncanny ability to turn situations in the chancellor's favor and win people over to his cause. Her understanding of politics and to grasp the fundamentals of working the system made her an excellent candidate for the public service academy, but Balhorn felt she would learn better under his wing.

"I'm not trying to antagonize Master Shan… I am putting her in a corner so that when my plan comes to the light the only person she can turn to is me…" He took a seat and sipped from his mug of caf.

"And you're not concerned that she being a Jedi would see right through your plan…"

"My dear you need to learn and quickly that the Jedi aren't invincible or untouchable… the only advantage a Jedi has over the rest of us is the fact that they can do things we mere mortals cannot… things they become to overconfident in… I have studied the Jedi, their history, and their beliefs and they are not the icons of morality they try to personify…"

Liorran couldn't respond right away because she had to meditate on his words for a second then she said, "…I still would be careful in regards to the Jedi sir…"

He sighed, Liorran was a strong minded woman if anything with her own opinions on every subject which made the chancellor start to believe that in Hapan society women had a lot of power, because he had seen her not shrink when it came to dealing with the opposite sex; in fact he'd seen Liorran intimidate a few male politicians whenever a conversation wasn't going their way. "We will save this discussion for another time, for now show the grand master in…"

With an heir that could only be described as regal Liorran walked to the door and ushered the grand master and a young man whom Balhorn didn't recognize into the office.

"Master Shan welcome… please you and your young friend be seated…"

"Chancellor Balhorn… meet my apprentice… Padawan Norren Bune…"

They shook hands, "Would the two of you care for some refreshment before we start?"

"Thank you chancellor but no… I get the feeling we won't be staying long anyway…"

He smiled, because Bastilla never held back when it came to dealing with him, "Fine then… what can I do for you…"

"I have come to ask you… plead with you… even beg you…" When Bastilla said beg her apprentice flinched and wanted to protest the grand master of the Jedi order begging for favors, but he held his peace; if his master was doing it she must have a reason and as her padawan he had to read between the lines, "…to release the funds the council needs in order to rebuild our order…"

Surprisingly the chancellor took the low road in their game of cat and mouse, "Master Shan I think we should start over… We both have said things… unbecoming to a grand master… and a supreme chancellor…"

("Here it comes…") Thought Bastilla to herself; smiling on the inside.

"…I believe that I have a policy that might solve both our problems…" He paused. "…First wouldn't you agree that the sith were birthed out of the Jedi Order…" Instead of answering she nodded, "…And if we and I mean the Jedi Council and my office had a way to control who is selected into the Jedi order we may be able to bring the sith to extinction once and for all…"

("Got ya!") Thought Bastilla to herself, her apprentice felt her excitement and stared at her, "Define control…" She finally said.

"By control I mean psycho-naptic hypno treatments…"

Padawan Moore could no longer contain himself and spoke, "Aren't those treatments still in the experimental stage…"

Keeping her cool Bastilla sent Moore a mental warning of keep quiet, "Oh so have heard of it…" Balhorn said.

Bastilla had wanted to fain ignorance but now she couldn't, "Let me get this strait you want to brainwash Republic citizens…"

"I wouldn't call it brainwashing… I'd call it a safety policy after all Master Vandarr and the Council of Dantooine did it to Revan…"

"The council had their reasons… and after thinking back on it I regret the part I played in that… but I'm not about to let you do the same…"

Balhorn laughed, "And how do you plan to stop me? There are people in the galaxy who don't trust the Jedi and then there are those in the senate who feel as I do that something must be done in order to control the Jedi better… My new policy will do all that and more…"

Bastilla stood up to leave, "I think I've heard enough…"

"Master Shan this process would go a lot easier if you cooperated…"

"I wonder chancellor would you be so smug when Revan returns…"

He grunted, "Still holding a candle for that rogue… well I guess I can't fault you a fallen Jedi carrying a torch for another fallen Jedi… When my policy goes public and it will, there will be no more sith… and no more wars…"

Bastilla turned to leave with Moore bringing up the rear.

"Well that didn't go as planned…" Liorran said.

"Actually it went better than I hoped… She has played right into my hands, now we need to find out who she will go running too… are our agents in place…"

"Yes sir, but I forgot to mention… we got a report earlier from unit nine… they followed Jedi Master Bao Durr and his apprentice out of the temple, but lost them after twelve blocks; they just seem to disappear into thin air…"

He grunted, "More Jedi tricks to be sure… what about the droid?"

Liorran cleared her throat, "Well sir the droid lost them after they split up… I had the droid sent to maintenance for tampering…"

Balhorn rubbed his hands together, "Good if we can get Master Durr on tampering with a government droid…"

"Well sir the droid was hit with an ion grenade… no fingerprints of any kind found… so if he did tamper with it would be hard to tell…"

"That schutta…" The word didn't shock Liorran in fact if the chancellor knew about her past he would be the one in shock.

"So my young padawan… what did you think of my meeting with supreme chancellor?" Bastilla asked walking towards the turbo-lift.

"I… I feel I must apologize for my outburst master… I spoke out of turn…"

She smiled, "Well… I'm glad you felt that you should apologize and the damage you caused was minimal… in the future though when dealing with politics it is best to remember not to reveal too much information… Politics is like sabaac reveal your hand to early and you could lose… and always try to bluff…"

Moore pressed the button for the lift and the two of them waited, "I just can't believe the supreme chancellor would resort to such tactics…"

"Well from a certain point of view he is right…"

Moore surprised by her statement turned to face her as the doors to the turbo-lift opened, "Master... isn't that what the Jedi code is for?"

"Yes, but the code isn't the problem… people are… hypothetical question… if a master had foreseen Exar Kun's fall do you think that war would have happened… or better do you think they would have trained him."

"No…" He responded confidently.

"Oh and what of the sith… you forget that during the reign of Exar Kune there were sith still around… do you think he would have gone unnoticed if the masters of that time had not trained him…"

"I suppose not considering how powerful he was… Even so master the force doesn't show us everything… so how do weed out the bad from the good…"

"Well the chancellor's plan is one way to do it… although in a twisted fashion… what do you think we should do…"

The doors opened again and they got off on the market floor, "Master I am not qualified to answer that question…"

"But you have some opinion on it…"

He looked around at the different shops, "I guess so…"

"Well we will save this discussion for later… right now we need to split up we are being watched…"

Moore stretched out with his mind; it only took a few seconds but eventually he found the four men who were paying too much attention to them, "Spies for the chancellor…"

"Yes… I need you to go to the judge advocate's office wait in the lobby for twelve minutes then ask to see Judge Orvis… he is in league with me… wait an hour in his office then leave…"

"What do I tell him…"

"Just tell him I sent you to make the chancellor nervous… he'll understand…"

"What are you going to do?"

"Things a padawan shouldn't know about…"

He smiled, because in the three years he had been studying under Bastilla Shan he had learned she had wild sneaky side, "Ok then master… may the force be with you…"

They parted ways dividing the agents who were following them. Bastilla took a twisting route through the market, ducking in and out of shops force flashing cameras and mind tricking a young woman who was her same build and height into switching clothes. It worked and when the agents realized what she had done Bastilla had left the market completely and made her way back to the Senator's office tower.

Senator Julion Van Mont of Onderon was an outspoken supporter of the Jedi Council, but he had felt betrayed after Masters Vandarr and Pathos gave their support to Belhorn for supreme chancellor. During the war Mont had supported Onderon's involvement in the war against the mandalorians and Malak; he also was a strong supporter of Queen Tahlia against General Vaklu. Mont fought tooth and nail to insure that Onderon would remain in the Republic and he also raised credits for the Telos restoration project and at present was trying to raise funds for the Jedi despite feeling betrayed and blocked by the chancellor's office.

In his leisure time Mont raised and raced Gryphon dale horses from Chandrilla. The four legged animals were the most beautiful in the galaxy and the most expensive to raise. Mont had a farm on Coruscant so he could keep an eye on his most prized possessions. It was racing season and his favorite stallion Shinning Knight was out in the lead; if the animal won the race it's breeding value would triple from one point two million credits to three point six million credits, meaning he could charge three million a pop for any breeder who wanted to breed their animal with his stallion. The animals had one more lap and Shining Knight had been in the lead since the start of the race. Gryphon Dale horses were trained to run without a rider and the only time one was ridden was for mock battles on Chandrilla or weddings etc which is where the races were being held at this moment. The senator was ready for it, the victory speech of his trainer the interview he'd give over the holo-net, until there was a chime at the door.

The only time his assistant bothered him during a race like this was because of an emergency, he sighed. "Come in…" he said roughly but not to unkindly.

"I'm sorry to disturb you sir… but Grand Master Bastilla Shan is here… in disguise…" His assistant was a human female from an outer rim world known as Tatooine or something.

He raised an eyebrow, "Must be serious… send her in…" He muted the holo-viewer.

The door opened again and Aaneda Uhall chief assistant to Mont lead Bastilla Shan in. Mont was almost floored for Bastilla wore a shear blue shawl over a white two peace tunic that hugged all her curves. She wore a gold ban around her head and a gold belt around her waist. Her hair flowed freely about her shoulders "Thank you for seeing me senator without an appointment and please forgive my appearance…"

"Well I always have time for a Jedi and don't apologize for your appearance perhaps all the females of your order should dress like that… if I'm not being to bold…" Mont had a reputation when it came to women no matter what their station in life and when he saw a beautiful woman he had no restraint.

Bastilla blushed after the compliment after all she still was a woman, "Thank you... you are too kind…" She sighed, "I am dressed like this because I had to loose the chancellor's agents, who had been following me ever since I left his office…"

Concerned Aaneda and Mont looked at each other, "Then the rumors are true?" She asked.

"More than I'd care to admit…" Bastilla replied.

Just then Mont received a call that Shinning Knight had won, "Yes!" Aaneda smiled at his expression. "You'll have to excuse me Master Shan my horse Shinning Knight has won the championship races on Chandrilla… Um… would you excuse me while I make a brief statement to the press…"

"Of course…"

He hesitated then sat back down with a sigh; Mont turned to Aaneda, "My dear would you be so kind as to activate my pre-programmed hologram for the press when they call and be sure to set the scrambler… I don't want them to know I used a hologram to give an interview…"

Aanede was disappointed she wanted to here the rest of the story concerning Master Bastilla's wardrobe. "Yes sir…"

Bastilla watched her leave, "She is rather young…"

"And strong her family was killed during a raid by some sand people… I was walking the streets of Coruscant when this little urchin stole my credit clip… I decided to take her in train her and she has been with me for the past thirteen years…"

"She admires you in more ways than one…"

He grunted, "I live to serve people, but I am too much of a philanthropist to change… Besides she deserves someone her own age to grow old with…"

"In the matters of love… age doesn't matter…"

He smiled, "Is that Jedi wisdom or Bastilla the affairs of the heart one oh one…" She tried to speak, but he stopped her, "…Before we dive into your vast knowledge on the subject… why don't you finish that story you were about to tell me… in fact start at the beginning… your meeting with the chancellor…"

She took a deep breath, "Alright… I need your help senator…" It only took a few seconds to recount the tale of her visit with the supreme chancellor, "…Now I have plan to counter the chancellor the council is behind me you are the last piece in this political game with the chancellor…"

"You mean pawn…" He said in anger, she tried to protest but he stopped her by raising his hand, "…I am going to be frank grand master…" He paused because Mont didn't want to offend her and at the same time he wanted her to know how he felt. "...I have supported the Jedi order from the mandalorian wars to the sith war, I put myself on the line in order to support Queen Tahlia when General Vaklu wanted to over throw her and pull Onderon out of the Republic…" Bastilla sat there patiently listening to Mont without interrupting or complaining, "…When Supreme Chancellor Tyrus Kolt Nee retired I could have been a shoe in for the office but what does Masters Vandarr and Pathos do… they give their endorsement to Balhorn and now it has come back to bite them in the ass… excuse the expression… and here you are asking for my help… I will not be anyone's pawn…"

Bastilla had to gather her thoughts, "…Senator Mont I do not consider you a pawn… and off the record Masters Vandarr and Pathos did that to expose the politically corrupt… it had nothing to do with you… I ask that you here my plan and the rewards you will receive if you cooperate…" she paused to allow her words to sink in, "…First I am in league with Admiral Carth Onasi, The Director of the GRI, Senator Koviss, and Judge Orvis… When I left the chancellor's office I sent my padawan to see Judge Orvis… this will make him think I am going to petition the courts to put a block on his policy and at the same time make him nervous about whom I am seeing…"

"Won't he use executive power to suspend any judicial proceedings?" Mont asked.

"Of course he will… but that is just a distraction… in matters he needs support from the Jedi we plan to allow him to fall on his face issues like the outer rim initiative and the unknown regions expansion project… Now I had Master Juhanni travel to Kashyyyk… Master Bindo is there aiding the wookies and trying to convince the new chief to join us…"

Mont smirked, "The wookies will never go for it…"

"They will after we prosecute Czerka corporate officials for slavery and their underground dealings with the sith empire…"

The expression on Mont's face was priceless, "The chancellor has been blocking that…"

"Only because he wants to investigate them himself, but we have the jump on him I've secretly sent three Jedi Knights to pull all the information they could find and send it to the Wookies… when they see what we are putting together they will jump at the chance to join the alliance… at the same time Master Gaffeen is going to his home world of Manaan to convince his people to join the alliance as well… when everything is in place Senator Koviss will call a special session of the senate; it will be publicized of course noting the Jedi initiative to make this happen…"

Mont smiled, "And Balhorn will have no choice, but to sign on…"

"Exactly… as we speak the order is discreetly putting out holo-pamphlets on our efforts to bring back stability to the republic… now the chancellor thinks Carth Onasi and the GRI director is on his side… so when he tries to publicize his policy…"

"He will look like that bad guy…" Mont said finishing her sentence. She nodded in agreement, "…After Balhorn tries to publicize his new policy he will look like a villain…"

The more he heard the more intrigued Mont became "But what about the senate… after you outmaneuver him in the senate he might not come out with his new policy…"

"He will… I can promise that… everyone knows Master Lazz is against me… so I had him go to Balhorn and tell him he is in favor of his plan… then that is where you come in… Senator Koviss is going to call another special session of congress and that is when we are going to make our move… we are going to demand that he step down…"

"And how do I fit into all this?"

"We will endorse you as the new supreme chancellor…"

Mont sat back in his chair with a big smile on his face, "Supreme Chancellor Julion Van Mont… it has a nice ring to it…"

"It most certainly does…" Bastilla agreed.

"But what happens if this blows up in your face?"

"It won't I've planned for every possibility and I have foreseen every outcome… I am confident it will go as planned… Will you help us?"

Mont got up from his desk and walked to the window he stood there for eight seconds before he spoke, "I love my people… the people of Onderon… I love the republic and will give my life to protect it…" He turned to face her, "…Of course I'll help…" They shook hands and ironed out a few details before they were done; that's when Aaneda returned to the office.

"How'd it go?"

"It went well sir… they didn't have a clue…"

"I need you to go with Master Shan back to the Jedi Temple… She and the other Masters will fill you in on what you must do… follow their orders as if I were giving them to you myself…"

"Yes sir…"

"Hmm… you need a disguise." He said sizing her up, "…And you Master Shan you need a new disguise…"

Mont had Aaneda pick out a suit for herself and Bastilla when they were done the two women looked like upscale holo-actresses. Bastilla and Aaneda took a public transport to the Jedi Temple where she shared with Aaneda the details of the plan and reported to the other masters.

"The council is under surveillance so we will be using you as a gopher… to do things for us that would draw too much attention…"

"I'm in these are the kinds of assignments I enjoy doing…" Aaneda said.

["We've hired some private security and actors to throw any agents off your trail just in case…"] Master Dainor said.

"Thank you I won't fail you…"

"Here…" Bastilla handed Aaneda a small com device, "…it's untraceable Master Durr built it… it's so we can get in touch with you at a moments notice…"

"Alright then… I'm off for my first mission…"

"Be careful…" Gallon said.

"I can take care of myself Master Helm…"

Without waiting for a reply Aaneda left the council chambers in the disguise of a holo-reporter with her bodyguards in tow as her holo-camera crew. Everything was in motion the table set the pieces in play and Victor Balhorn was about to go down.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Atris

The planet Telos had suffered much in the Madalorion war and the Sith war; betrayed by Saul Karath who gave the Sith fleet the codes to the planetary defenses and allowed their fleet to devastate the surface of the planet. Millions died and Saul was rewarded with the rank of Admiral, but it was Carth who avenged his people by giving Saul Karath the death he deserved for his betrayal. In the aftermath it was the Ithorians and their restoration project that restored the planet to its former glory and with the success of the Telos project the Republic was able to allocate more credits to restoring other worlds. As time went on Telosian refugees started returning to their home world to start over. Life had returned to normal on Telos, the economy and the agriculture had become self sustaining; in fact Telos had become a major exporter supplying goods and materials to hundreds of worlds in the Republic. There was only one taint left on Telos before it could properly heal and that was the northern polar irrigation system which was still under quarantine by the Jedi council itself. Some of the people of Telos said the north mesa was haunted while others said wild mutated beasts dwelt in the mesa. Each story was more outlandish than the next and all the more wild when someone claimed to have broken the Jedi quarantine and saw what they saw. There were those who even claimed that the Jedi Council was using the irrigation system as a prison for sith criminals. The truth of the matter was that it was in partial a prison and a vault for all the lost knowledge of the Sith and Jedi which was stored in the holocrons. Holocrons were small pyramid shaped teaching manuals that could only be accessed by a Jedi or Sith, depending on who created them. A truly powerful force user could access either Jedi or Sith holocrons. The holocrons had been horded by the last Jedi Chronicler.

As said the irrigation system also served as a prison and that prison was home to the aforementioned Jedi Chronicler Jedi Master Atris. When the Republic and the Jedi order fell to the sith a few of the masters went into hiding. Atris hid in the northern polar region of Telos with the intention to rebuild the Jedi order and destroy the sith, but when the exile Kailen Star showed up on Telos she confronted him about his choice to follow Revan to war. When the exile left Brianna followed him on his journey across the galaxy fighting the sith and learned the ways of the force from the exile; when it was revealed that Kreia was the Sith Lord Darth Traya Brianna was tricked into taking Traya back to the polar mesa where Traya broke Atris down and turned her to the dark side. Feeling betrayed Atris ordered her servants the Echani sisters to attack Brianna, but Brianna was now a Jedi who wielded a double edged light saber. Brianna was forced to kill her own sisters and face the woman she had admired, served, and looked to as a mother. Brianna put up a good fight and would have defeated Atris accept for the fact that Atris unleashed a deadly storm of force lightening. Brianna would have died if the exile hadn't showed up; Atris and the exile Kailen Star fought a deadly battle throughout the irrigation system. The battle ended with Atris begging the exile to kill her, but Kailen Star spared her life and in turn exiled her in the northern polar irrigation system. The mesa had been Atris' home for the past eight years and in the beginning Atris tried to cleanse herself of the taint of the dark side, but eventually she gave up feeling lost, betrayed, and defeated with no will to summon the force for anything. She had even given up on the task of creating a new light saber from the smashed remnants of her and the exile's light saber's; days turned into weeks, weeks became months which turned into years. Day after day Atris would wonder the halls of her academy with no students or purpose. Several times she considered ending her life and today was no different; she had a limitless supply of food so she wouldn't starve it was just at times she didn't have the will it would take to prepare a meal. Atris walked through the halls recalling her past triumphs and accomplishments the mistakes she made in regards to Revan and the exile. Atris had left the dormitory and returned to the main hall when a cold breeze brushed over her whipping her white robes; the breeze had an uneasy yet familiar presence about it.  
>She stopped in her tracks and looked around, "Who is there…" She yelled out, but there was no answer. Then after she had taken five steps there it was again that breeze even though there were no windows in the massive structure and this time there was a laugh that accompanied the breeze. "Who is there…" She shouted into the air, "Show yourself!" Atris ordered.<br>The facility shook and then all was quiet, "How pathetic…" came a voice from behind. Atris whirled around to find the red glowing apparition form of the woman who called herself Kreia and then reclaimed the name Darth Traya.  
>"You… what do you want…" Atris asked with disdain.<br>"That is not a question for me…"  
>"If you came here to ask me riddles keep them for I am in no mood… if you came here to torment me then get it over with and go…" Atris turned her back to the dark side apparition and started to walk away.<br>"Riddles no… And why would I torment someone I came to help…"  
>Atris turned around to face the force ghost and grunted, "You help me… Ha… you've only ever cared about yourself…"<br>"I care about what happens to you now…"  
>Atris ignored her and turned to leave again only when she turned the apparition was in front of her, "Leave me!" she yelled aggravated.<br>"You are a Jedi gather your strength and cast me into the nexus of the force the way Revan cast the ghost of Ajunta Pall away."  
>Atris went down to the floor and sat, "I am not as weak as you think I know what you are doing and it won't work this time…"<br>Traya smiled, "You asked me why I came here then know this… the Jedi are coming to collect you and if you fail their little test you will be in a far worse state than you are now…" Traya could tell she had Atris' attention.  
>"And I suppose you are going to help me the way you helped the exile…"<br>"You are so blind you and all who call themselves Jedi…" Traya was angry now and her transparent form began to glow redder, "…There must always be a Darth Traya and you began to walk the same path I did, but you were not strong enough, you had to be broken the way I was and cast down to your present state and then and only then could you take my place as the next Darth Traya… now here my tale if you dare… I was Kreia Jedi Master, Chronicler and Revan's master, I craved knowledge… knowledge of the force in all its forms… when Revan defied the council it tore my heart apart… and then he turned to the dark side… The hero became the villain and I wanted to know why… my journey to learn the truth caused me to become Darth Traya one who has been betrayed and will betray in turn… and wasn't I blamed for Revan's fall by you and the other masters…" Atris couldn't speak because Traya's story sounded to close to her own. "…I allied myself with Darth Nihilus and I taught Darth Sion the three of us ruled as one but again I was betrayed… broken and cast down… The exile was my last hope at redemption but it was not to be… he accomplished everything I wanted him too and more… He succeeded all my expectations… Does any of this sound familiar… You can become the New Darth Traya… merge with me and my essence will become yours… my knowledge and power in the force will be at your command…"  
>Atris stood up, "Your gift is a false one… you lie to me for I know force essence bonding technique… you will bond with me and take over my body…"<br>"Fool have you heard nothing I said…" They stared at each other in silence, but it was Traya who broke it. "Perhaps I chose the wrong successor after all maybe I should start my search anew…"  
>She began to fade away, "Wait… how do I know you're not lying to me?"<br>Traya laughed, "I am one with the force now and I am not bound by the limitations of the flesh if I wanted to I could have taken your body at any time… and my untrusting heir I didn't have to show myself to you did I…" Atris hesitated as images of glory, power, and revenge flashed in her mind, she shook it off, "No!" She declared.

"Fine then, but you will fail the Jedi's test… and then what…"

Atris started pacing, "If I bond with you then what… will I loose myself my identity?"

"You will only gain in this bonding although some traces of my being will come out it will be all you…"

"Why do want to do this?"

"As I told you… there must always be a Darth Traya… And I do not wish to fade away into the force…"

Atris took a deep breath, "So be it… What must I do…"

For the next hour or so Traya and Atris practiced the technique until Atris was comfortable and could trust Traya completely.

"It is time…" Traya said, "…Let us begin…"

"Fine…" Atris replied.

Together the two them linked their beings until they were in sink with each other; there was a bright red light that filled the room and engulfed everything in a red hue. When the light faded Atris stood alone and Traya was now one with Atris merging their identities until there was one distinct identity. They were now one and she opened her eyes which had become two glowing yellow orbs her white hair had become black as midnight with a streak of white running down the left side of her hair.

"We are one… we are Darth Traya…" She said.

Traya had a terrifying beauty, her skin was flawless but had a grayish sheen to it; she had the body of a dancer and the strength of a thousand men. Traya was far more powerful than either Master Vandarr or Revan; she even had surpassed the exile and both Darth Nihilus and Sion put together.

"There must always be a Darth Traya…" She said to herself.

It took longer than she wanted, but Traya was finally able to order her thoughts and make a plan. The Jedi were on the way and if they found her in this state they would try to kill her, she wasn't afraid killing Bao Durr and Atton Rand would be just the thing she needed to mark her journey forward as Darth Traya, but killing them would draw the attention of the rest of the Jedi Order and as powerful as she had become one sith lord against some two hundred plus Jedi would be something to brag about, but pride and vengeance weren't reasons to act. She was Darth Traya now and she had to be clever. Traya finally decided she needed a weapon, a ship, supplies, a proper apprentice and someone she could use to gain her vengeance.

"First things first…" she said out load, "…I need a weapon…"

If the Jedi arrived before she could get away Traya could destroy them both with the force, but she still needed a light saber. Traya began searching the irrigation building for equipment she could use to build her new weapon. When Atris fell to the dark side she had destroyed her first light saber and built a new one with a red energy blade, but Brianna had destroyed that one in their duel and the exile destroyed his old light saber which she had kept in their duel. Traya gathered the pieces of the broken light sabers discarding what she didn't need and began building a curved handled light saber. When she was done she decided to build a light whip and hung both weapons at her side.

"These robes aren't fit for a Sith Lord…" Traya said looking at herself in a mirror.

Traya began sowing, dying, and stitching together clothes until she had a proper sith robe fit for the new lady of the sith. When she was done Traya decided to go to the make shift library where she kept the holocrons. The exile had sealed it, but that wouldn't stop her using the force Traya began to take the security system apart in less than four minutes.

"Excellent!" She declared entering the library. "Hm… If I take all of you with me the Jedi won't stop looking until they recover all these treasures… Think… Ah I got it…"

Traya decided that the only way she wouldn't lose all the knowledge that Atris spent three years gathering was to copy the information to a master holocron. A holocron unlike any in the galaxy or the history of the sith or the Jedi. Traya got started right away on building the holocron, she first gathered the materials then using her hands and the force Traya began building the super holocron. By using the force she finished construction in less than two hours; Traya had made three gate keepers, one in the form of Revan, the second in the form of Darth Sion, and the third in the form of Darth Nihilus.

"Hahahahahaha…." She laughed, "…How sentimental…" She said thinking of her allies and former students.

When she finished the holocron which stood at three and half feet with a width of two and a half feet on all three sides she began copying information from the holocrons two and four at a time. The process took three hours and when she was done the holocron could still hold megabytes of information. She had made copies from two hundred Jedi holocrons and one hundred and eleven sith holocrons. Traya used the force to carry her holocron to the turbolift where she had placed her stash of supplies and then she sealed the library making it look as if no one had ever opened it.

"Now I need a ship…" She declared.

Traya dropped to her knees and stretched out with her mind and immediately she found a long range supply freighter flying in low orbit, the ship had a crew of two hundred people along with a number of droids; now it was a matter of taking control of the minds of the captain his second in command and the pilot.

"Captain on deck!" The bridge officer shouted as the doors opened and he walked in.

"Helm change course… set zero, five, one…"

Everyone on the bridge became dumfounded, "Excuse me sir…" The bridge officer said speaking up, "…but won't that take us to the northern polar region?"

"Yes… I have special orders from the Jedi Council… Set course…"

"But sir shouldn't we confirm…"  
>That is when the second command stepped in, "That is all… you are relieved of duty…"<br>Reluctantly the man left the bridge and the captain took a seat in his chair, "Set course  
>"Aye captain…" The Pilot said<p>

Traya was very pleased with herself the ship was on its way and she had already disabled the sentry drone that warned people to stay away from the mesa. The freighter had a pointed nose and a cylinder like hall; it was armed with light weapons, but Traya could tell that the shields were top of the line. When the ship landed she had the crew disembark and the captain gave her all the command codes for the star ship. She had the crew load up all her supplies on the ship and the droids were reprogrammed to obey her. When Traya was done she decided not to kill the crew because that would attract the Jedi as well so she locked them in the dormitories after erasing certain events from their minds and ordered the droids to leave.

"Well this will be my home for a few months or more…" Traya said walking the halls of her new ship.

She entered the bridge and the commanding droid saluted, "Mistress the Telosian space control wants to know where we are going…"  
>She took a seat in the captain's chair which had been converted to a thrown, "Ignore them… head for open space… Set course for…" she smiled, "…Set course for Nar Shadda…"<p>

"Yes mistress…" the droid replied.

Traya had renamed her stolen ship the Inferno and as soon as the ship cleared the system it made the jump to light speed.

Fifty minutes after the Inferno had left the Telos system the comet's run came out of hyperspace. "Do you think she will put up a fight?" Atton asked at the controls.

"I hope not…"

"Um… it is good to be here with you again my friend… it does bring back memories…"  
>Bao Durr smiled, "It does… Narshadda, Dantooine…" They looked at each other and said at the same time. "Telos…"<p>

"That was the best battle I'd ever been in…"

Bao Durr grew serious, "There is nothing glorious about battle…"  
>"I'm sorry… the war was different for me…"<p>

Bao Durr was about to say something when the com light went off. "Please identify yourself…"

"This is the captain of the comet's run requesting landing on platform two one eight…"

"Hold your position comet's run while we check your registry…"

"Why lie to them?" Bao Durr asked.

"Well if the chancellor's agents are in the area we won't draw to much attention to ourselves…"  
>"Comet's run come in…"<p>

"Go ahead… we are here…"

"You are cleared to land on platform three nine D…"

The comet's run entered the atmosphere and leveled off heading directly towards the capital city and the state building where the Prime Minister lived and worked. The Prime Minister was there to greet the ship along with his top aids.

"Ah Master Bao Durr welcome back to Telos…" The Prime Minister said.

"Thank you sir… it's good to be back… may I introduce Jedi Master Atton Rand…"

They shook hands, "Gentlemen follow me…"

The Prime Minister lead the two Jedi through a private entrance then down a hallway to a private turbo-lift. They got off the lift that took them to the Prime Minister's office; the office had an extravagant décor almost as opulent as the supreme chancellor's office. Unlike the chancellor's office the Prime Minister's office was decorated with pieces from different cultures, like Chandrilla, Aldarran, Corellia, Naboo, and Onderon.

"Would the two of you like some refreshment…" The Prime Minister asked after they had taken their seats.

"No thank you sir…"

"I'm fine…" Atton said.

"To business then…"

"We are here to collect Master Atris…"

"Of course…"

"Has the Chancellor's agents given you much trouble…" Bao Durr asked.

"Nothing I couldn't handle…" The Prime Minister leaned forward on his desk, "…He has agents here now, but I have them busy with a false lead that there are Jedi in the southern continent…"

"Thank you much sir… We will be heading to the Northern Polar region immediately…"

"Would you like an escort?"

Bao Durr put his hand up waving a no, "No sir that would attract too much attention… but we would like to request a ship nothing too fancy just something for a short ride north…"

The Prime Minister stood up with a smile, "In anticipation of your request I have a ship standing by… my droid T-five-oh will take you too it…"

The two Jedi thanked the Prime Minister again before following T-five to a ship in the main docking bay.

The ship was called the defiant, "Interesting name…" Atton said walking around the ship to inspect it.

"It will serve our purpose…" Bao Durr said turning his attention to the droids that were to accompany them. "…Droids verbal command board the ship…" The droids would be used to help load the holocrons aboard the ship while Atton and Bao Durr placed Atris in custody.

The Defiant took off and flew low to the ground heading towards the polar mesa and the irrigation system. As they approached Bao Durr sent the code by remote to the satellite watching over the mesa.

"I never thought I'd be seeing this ice hole again…"

Bao Durr grunted stretching out in the force to look for Atris, "Do you feel that…"

"What…" Atton reached out with his mind and immediately felt it, "…What are all those people doing in the facility?" He asked.  
>Bao Durr looked at Atton, "…More importantly where is Atris…"<p>

"It could be a trap…"

"No… I don't think so…"

"Well we will find out soon enough…"Atton entered the codes for the hanger and sat the ship down, but he kept the ship running, "Just in case we need to make a quick get away…"

After ordering the droids to stay aboard until they checked out the situation Bao Durr and Atton Rand exited the ship cautiously keeping a keen eye out for the slightest hint of danger. There was none to worry about; the two Jedi made their way to the dormitories where the crew of the Telos' Pride was locked. While Bao Durr questioned the crew Atton had the droids load the holocrons on board their ship.

"What did you find out?' Atton asked after he was done helping the droids.

"Nothing… they don't remember a thing… I think Atris erased their minds…"  
>"Great she could be light years from here…"<br>"More importantly has she reverted back to the dark side or has she fled to exile herself…" Bao Durr tried to find her with his mind but he felt nothing, "…Did she take the sith holocrons?" He asked coming out of his trance. "No she left them… she left all the holocrons… If I were turning back to the dark side I would have at least taken the sith holocrons with me…"

"Yes, but we are dealing with Atris here… there is no telling what state of mind she was in when she left the mesa…"

"Well we can figure all this out later for now we should take as many of these people with us as we can and get going…"

Bao Durr nodded in agreement and told the crew men what they were planning to do then Atton called the Prime Minister and told him what they found.

"We need your discretion Prime Minister…" Bao Durr said, "…If the Supreme Chancellor finds out that Atris is missing…" "Say no more Master Jedi… You have my silence in this…" "Thank you sir…"

"Um aren't you going to contact the rest of the council about this?"

"No…" Bao Durr replied, "…I'd rather tell them in person…"

"As you wish… the ship you requested is on the way…"

The Prime Minister's image faded and Atton and Bao Durr loaded fifty people on board the ship, before taking off. As soon as they returned to the capital city Bao Durr and Atton had the holocrons loaded to the Comet's Run and then they took off.

For the past two days Traya practiced her light whip technique on Telosian labor droids while traveling through hyperspace, she had reprogrammed the droids for combat and only struck them in their joint areas so they could easily be repaired. When she wasn't practicing her light whip techniques Traya was meditating in her new meditation sphere getting a handle on her new mind and powers. Traces of Kreia and Atris had merged into a new personality that was now Darth Traya; she also meditated to gain her bearings. Traya wasn't interested in going to war with the Republic; no her mind was set in preserving the teachings of the Sith and in order to do that she needed to learn ultimate knowledge and for that she had to travel to places that had not been mapped yet; places like wild space, the transitory mists, the deep core, and the unknown regions. As Traya meditated flashes of people like Revan, the Exile Kailen Star, Bastilla, Visas, Jolee Bindo, Juhanni, Bao Durr, Atton Rand, and Brianna kept coming to her mind and an uncontrollable rage began to build up in her mind; a rage she had to unleash. She broke her meditation and left the sphere, but stopped, "No… No… No…" She kept saying trying to bring herself under control. Traya took deep heavy breaths and slowly calmed herself down. She laughed, "A Sith Lord does not give herself over to fits of rage that lack purpose…" Then she stopped laughing analyzing what she had just said, after all her rage was justified; she wanted revenge on the ones who had betrayed both her former personalities.

"Mistress are you alright?" T-Seven her favorite droid asked.

"I am now…" She said thinking of the poor planet that was about to suffer her wrath, because she had planned to drop out of hyperspace and unleash her power on whatever system she was in or passing by. She turned her attention to the droid, "What is it…"

"I came to tell you we have arrived in the Nal Hutta system…"

She smiled, because if she had gone through with her plan Nal Hutta would be a spot on the galactic map, "That's fine…"

Traya followed T-Seven to the bridge where the rest of her reprogrammed droid crew were working to bring the ship into close orbit. She sat on her thrown and accepted a goblet from T-Seven; then she stretched out with her mind and tricked the space command operators into believing they had already scanned the ship, because if they scanned the ship they would find it being operated by droids. After clearing the check point the inferno got permission to land on platform thirty-eight.

"Activate the holograms and stay on board I may be awhile…" She commanded.

"Yes mistress…"

Before leaving the ship Traya changed her clothes she now wore a flight jacket, gun belt, and tight pants with knee high boots; she hid her weapons inside her jacket. She walked up the street knowing exactly where she wanted to go and it was to Voga the Hutt's space dock. Voga the Hutt was once again in control of Nar Shadda; because during the exile's visit to Nar Shadda it was discovered that the crime boss Goto was actually a droid, a sophisticated droid who was originally created to help the Ithorian's with the restoration project on Telos but the droid developed an independent personality that made him start his own criminal organization; an organization that rivaled even the Hutts, but Goto was taken down by the exile and the new crew of the Ebon Hawk. It only took a few minutes to get to the east docks and Voga's private enclosure. There were dozens of people and aliens waiting to see the Hutt, but Traya wasn't planning on waiting to see him she pushed her way through the people and when someone got out of line she either force choked them or gave them a jolt of force lightening.

"What do you think you're doing…" asked a man dressed in Mandalorian armor.

"I am going to see Voga…" Traya said arrogantly.

"You are going to wait like everyone else…" The man barked, "…But if you make it worth my while I may let you in…"

She raised an eyebrow, "And I may respect your request if you were a true Mandalorian instead of a man wearing something he found in a wrecked ship." When Traya said this, the people within ear shot laughed and the man was embarrassed because it was true, he used the armor to frighten people.

"You little schuctta…" He said pulling out an illegal nz5-disruptor pistol.

He pointed the weapon directly in her face a big mistake on his part because Traya grabbed his arm twisted it and flipped the man over; once he was on his back Traya put her foot in the man's neck and took his gun, "Do I kill you or what…"

It was a funny scene a woman with a dancer's build take down a man three times her size, "Enough… Let him up…" A blue skinned man with red eyes cried.

Traya found herself strangely attracted to the exotic looking humanoid, "He has no manners…" She said.

"And neither do you…"

Traya followed the man's eyes as he looked at the fearful faces of the people behind her, "I am in a rush…"

The alien looked at Traya with lust in his eyes, "Well a fine woman with your talent and beauty shouldn't have to wait…"

She let the man up, "I appreciate that…"

The man held his hand out, "My gun…" He demanded.

"Carvel you haven't learned your lesson yet… that is not a woman to be trifled with in any kind of way… report to the warehouse…"

The man's pride was hurt, "But…"

"Now… Pordo will guard the door…" Traya watched the man leave and he was replaced with a reptilian like alien with pale gray skin; Pordo she guessed seemed to come out of nowhere. "He's a Noghri… I wouldn't try any of your moves on him you'd be dead before you put your hands on your weapon…"

"Really…" Traya replied intrigued, "…I may have to come back and try him out…" Pordo sneered.

"Come with me…"

The blue skinned alien ushered her in, "How do you know I am not an assassin?"

He grunted, "You have the skill and the look of a stone cold killer, but your moves are too fluid and disciplined no matter how much you try to hide it…" He stopped and looked her up and down, "…You are use to power and you have commanded if not mentored others before…"

Traya stared at him she didn't sense the force on him and she began to return his visual inspection, "I don't see a light saber unless you have it somewhere that could only be seen when in the shower…"

He laughed, "I am neither Jedi nor Sith and I am not force sensitive…"

"Then what are you… for I have never seen a humanoid of your species in my life…"

They continued walking towards the main chamber, "I am a Chiss… my people dwell on the edge of the outer rim near the unknown regions… we have a gift for seeing what others don't we Chiss are the masters of reading people and we use that to our advantage…"

"Impressive I may have to visit your people one day…"

"I don't think so… my people don't like outsiders…"

"How did you wind up working for Voga…"  
>"It's a long story…"<br>"Maybe you can tell me over lunch…"

He didn't respond, but he ordered the guards at the door to open it. Voga sat on his dais eating live black hutt swamp frogs and sipping Juhma Juice with two Kath hounds at his side. The Chiss humanoid bowed to Voga.

"My lord Voga may I present…"

Traya stepped forward, "Kri Atrlan…" She said combining the names of her two previous identities.

"She has great skill… assassin like skills…"

Voga spoke in his native tongue of Huttese; the blue skinned Chiss was about to translate when she waved him off, "I can understand him… no my lord I am not a dancer, but I do have lots of credits too spend…" Voga laughed a deep gurgling laugh and spoke again, "…No I am not looking for employment I am looking to have my ship upgraded… I lost my last ship to the Republic and I stole this one from Telos… If you would be willing I am ready to pay for a weapons upgrade… and some new droids of course…" Voga told her that he knew every smuggler operating between the Y-Toub sector and the core worlds and that he had never herd of her especially since the Hutts employed over sixty percent of the smugglers in known space. "I understand that my lord, but I am an independent smuggler and I handle stuff for dirty politicians in the senate… you may have heard, but the Jedi is cracking down on senatorial corruption…" He told her that he had heard such rumors and decided to do business.

"You are not a bad little negotiator…" The Chiss said escorting her out of the main chamber.

"Thank you…" She stopped him, "…You never told me your name…"

He smiled, "The language of my people is hard to translate into basic so call me Thanus…"

"Alright Thanus… I have some business to take care of so you can meet me at the Triton's spear in three hours for lunch…" Traya was about to walk off when Thanus grabbed her and took a kiss. It was a passionate kiss a kiss that awoke something in Traya that had been buried by years of Jedi training, something that neither Kreia nor Atris had ever experienced. She was caught between the desire to experience more and the urge to force slap him.

"I look forward to it…" He said arrogantly and walked away.

Traya remained rooted in her spot for a good twelve minutes before she moved, ("He could be playing with me…") she thought to herself. ("…If he is then oh what a game we will play…")

Traya started walking again slowly gathering her thoughts, she couldn't continue traveling through the galaxy with just a bunch of droids as her crew she needed living beings to help the droids crew the ship; so Traya discreetly put out notices that she was looking for a crew to work her ship. She got responses in less than twenty minutes and in another hour or more she had a crew of one hundred and twelve mates, most were mercenaries and former soldiers who fought for the Sith in the war, these beings were hiding on Nar Shadda especially since the Republic had no jurisdiction in the Y-Toub sector. After gathering a crew for the inferno Traya contacted T-Seven and told him to assign the new crew to their rooms and find out what their skills were in ship operations and assign them so. Once she was done with that it was time to get some more credits so that she could afford to pay them what she promised. Traya made her way to the czerka corporate office that operated on Nar Shadda; she entered the office and walked up to the Twi'lek receptionist.

"May I help you ma'am?"  
>"Perhaps… I have a meeting with the executive officer…"<p>

"Ah yes you have a meeting with the executive officer…" The woman repeated drowning under the Jedi mind trick. She checked in the system, "What's your name…"

"Ella Hale…"

She started shaking her head, "I'm sorry I don't see it in here…"

"It's obvious you made a mistake and forgot to enter my appointment in the system…"

"You know what I remember you, but I forgot to put it in the system…"

The weak minded woman lead Traya into the office and the executive officer in shock said nothing as Traya sat a piece of flimsy on his desk and took a seat, "I want to access that account…"

The man's eyes stretched as he looked at the account, "…Um how did you get this…"

"I have no time for fifty questions… if I have that number then it's obvious who I am…" She placed her light saber on the table so the man could see the curved handle. "…the credits now please."

The man began to fumble and access the appropriate account, "…Um if you mind me asking my lady… are you going to join the remnant of the Sith army…"

She grunted, "I have my own agenda…" Traya said coldly.

"But surely…"

"Surely you will experience the most unpleasant pain in your life if you continue questioning me…"

The man cleared his throat and began working even faster; the Sith Lords like Revan, Malak, and even Darth Sion kept a hidden stash of credits; a vast amount that was kept by Czerka corporation and only a select few knew about them. Some accounts were even established as far back as Marko Ragnos. The account Traya accessed belonged to Exar Kunn and it fell into Kreia's hands during her reign as the previous Darth Traya.

Traya leaned in close until the man trembled so much that she could feed off the fear emanating from him, "You never saw me…"

"Of course my lady… Um I feel I should tell you that the Jedi is investigating the corporation several executives have already been arrested…"

She stood to leave, "Not my concern… but if you say anything to the Jedi or the sith remnant… I will personally hunt you down…"

"I understand my lady mums the word…"

Traya left and checked the time she had twenty minutes to get to the Triton's Spear; she took a transport cab to the Triton arriving two minutes before Thanus. They entered the extravagant restaurant and sat a private booth with a holographic view of a beach at sun set. They ate and talked for hours, the two dined on dishes like fresh water eel from Aldaraan and Nerf stake; they had fried sea frog legs and razor back chicken with mashed tubors and for desert they had ice cake.

"Please allow me…" Thanus said accepting the bill from the server droid.

"Are you sure… it's no problem…"

"If a man doesn't pay for lunch when he is eating with a woman as fine as you… he doesn't deserve her attention…" She liked the compliment and acquiesced to his request. "Would you come back to my place for some drinks…"

Traya knew what he wanted and she wasn't above giving in to his charms after all she was a Sith Lord and free of the teachings of the Jedi. They went to his apartment and Traya didn't waist anytime; in a matter of moments their clothes were off and they spent the next three hours wrapped in each other.

"Wow…" He said lying next to her, "…And you say you've never been with a male… I find that hard to believe…"

"A woman who has gone without physical love such as I have… can think of some pretty interesting things to do…" (Actually she read his mind and knew exactly what he liked.)

"That was the best I ever had…" She started to get up, but he grabbed her. "…Wait don't leave I could go another round…"

Traya smiled, "So could I, but there are things I must do…" He released her and watched her dress in front of him.

"Well I better be getting up as well…" He jumped out the bed and quickly got dressed, "Where are you heading when you leave the planet…"

"I haven't decided yet…"

"Well Voga has a job for you…"

After explaining Voga's job to her, Traya agreed and followed Thanus back to the enclosure on the docks. As they walked she said; "You know you never did tell me that story at lunch…"

"I was hoping to avoid it…" He sighed, "…I was born into high society and nobility on my home world… and with that came obligations… like being betrothed on the day of one's birth… I fell in love with a common girl and my family didn't approve… we ran away together and got married… my father and mother hired mercenaries to hunt us down… Aleatha died in my arms…" Thanus fell silent for a minute before continuing. "…The Mercenaries tried to take me back home, but they weren't Chiss… it was foolish of my parents to hire outsiders, but that was there mistake and my fortune I escaped from my bonds and killed my captures… I used their ship to go where I wish and do what I wanted… Voga as it was found me on a back water world near wild space and asked me to join him and so I did…"

"You rose quickly in the ranks because of your uncanny ability to read people…" Traya said finishing his statement.

"Yes and now for your sorted tale…"

She smiled, "It's not as interesting as yours I am apart of a secret organization an ancient sect that trains women to be warriors, but a part of that is that the women must swear to keep themselves pure for the rest of their lives…"

Thanus was rather disappointed he already knew who she was, but he wasn't ready to call her on it yet, because he wanted to see if she would accept Voga's deal and do it or would she break it.

When they arrived at the enclosure Voga explained the job paid one hundred thousand credits to transport some crates to the Suuvaf system. When she accepted the crates were loaded on board the Inferno and the bridge crew prepared for take off.

Traya stood at the bottom of the ramp kissing Thanus, "I hope to see you again…"

"Why?" She asked, "Are we to become lovers… I had a nice time and all, but I have places to go and things to do… I doubt we will see each other again…"

He almost laughed, "Oh I think we will… and when we do perhaps you will tell me the truth…"

Traya smiled and headed up the ramp thinking he was very pompous to think he could track a Sith Lord. The game was getting interesting; then she gasped within herself what if he knew she was a sith after all he already had guessed many things concerning her previous life as a Jedi Master.

When Traya entered the bridge the new crew members saluted and she began acquainting herself with the new crew members.

"Orders mistress…" T-Seven asked.

"Set course for the Onderon system and when we are in hyperspace I want the crew to meet me in the observation lounge… T-Seven come with me…"

T-Seven and Traya went to the cargo hold to inspect what Voga's men had placed on her ship. "Did you find all the tracking devices?"

"Yes mistress… all except the ones on the crates…" He replied in his synthesized voice.

"I shall deal with that…" Traya used the force to disable the tracking devices and the booby traps; then she opened the crates one by one. She became delighted for in the first few crates were weapons; military grade weapons and armaments of all kinds. Then Traya opened another crate and found something more valuable than the weapons and art pieces in the other crates for she had found a sith holocron.

"Forgive my ignorance mistress, but what is that?"

"A holocron… and not just any holocron… A sith holocron…"

T-Seven ignored her as he cataloged the weapons and works of art. Traya activated the gate keeper and was excited to see a holo-image of Freedon Nadd. "Here the words of Darth Vear former apprentice of Lord Freedon Nadd… King of Onderon…"

T-Seven stopped what he was doing to listen as the gate keeper told the sad tale of Darth Vear who was apprenticed to Freedon Nadd. Vear's real name was Paller Obs a native of Onderon who was a master of controlling animals and creatures apparently Obs had founded the beast riders and the tale of the criminals being outcasts from the city was only partially true because Obs had returned to Onderon as Darth Vear and taught the outsiders how to control the beasts of the wild so that they could storm the city and destroy the royal house of Freedon Nadd. Traya also learned that Vear had betrayed Nadd but Freedon Nadd was too powerful and Vear almost died at Nadd's hand if it hadn't been for Vear's apprentice he would have died then and there. Traya scanned through the holocron and found that Vear didn't develop any new force techniques except when it came to molding animals to do his will. Darth Vear's tomb was on Korriban apparently his apprentice was far more powerful and had killed Vear and entombed him on Korriban.

"Are you done?" She asked T.

"Yes mistress there are enough guns here to take Corellia… and enough art here to sell and become a noble of Alderaan…"

"Well neither of those interest me assemble the crew…"

When T-Seven sounded a meeting in the observation deck the crew responded in a timely manner with the training of well disciplined soldiers. Traya walked up and down the line inspecting the crew most of whom were human with the exception of a Tw'lek here and a Bith there. There were even a female Zabrak and a male Gotel.

"My name is Kri Artlan… I command this ship… My word is law… disobey it and suffer the consequences… We will be doing a lot of traveling… and when we stop I won't stay in any one place for to long so you will get shore leave…" She kept walking back and forth in front of them the whole time she spoke, "…at the most I will stay a week at the least five days… if you are left behind then that is your problem… I will pay what I promised two thousand credits a week… I pay for your loyalty… and obedience… If you don't agree with my methods then there is the airlock… I don't like my orders questioned… so don't… There are certain sections of this ship that are off limits… mainly the captain's deck… all transmissions are monitored by me any unauthorized transmissions will result in severe punishment… all coordinates are authorized by me… anyone try to alter the course of this ship will die in the attempt… all the main functions aboard this ship are booby trapped…" She smiled, "…so a mutiny is out of the question… My orders will either come through T-Seven or…" she scanned the faces of the people in front of her and a man with a deep scar running across his face caught her eye, she pointed at him, "Hykell Scarface… he is your captain... we are fully supplied eat whatever you want whenever you want… That will be all for now any questions…" A man raised his hand which aggravated her but she didn't let it show, "Yes…"

"Are we going to deliver Voga's shipment?"

"Of course not…" She replied arrogantly.

The crew became nervous as they whispered among themselves, "…Quiet all of you…" Hykell barked. "…Who is Voga but a fat worm sitting on his large hide eating all day… if Lady Kri has the brass to steal from Voga… then she must be worth flying with…"

To Traya's surprise the crew members cheered and she became very impressed with Hykell and his ability to inspire. She turned her attention T-Seven, "Pay them…" She ordered.

As Traya left the observation lounge the crew cheered her name as T-Seven handed out their first payments. Traya retired to her meditation sphere to study her new holocron and meditate on the events of the last few days.

When the Inferno came out of hyperspace the ship was subjected to waiting in line like everyone else trying to land on Onderon. Traya grew impatient as seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours; which brought her to the point of wanting to obliterate the planet surface. She laughed to herself sitting on the thrown and thought she needed to find a better outlet for the explosive power residing in her or she might just lose control and devastate a planet or two.

"Finally…" She said as the Inferno was given permission to land in the city, "Captain you T-Seven and Meldore will come with me… the rest of the crew can disembark in groups of twenty… warn them not to draw any attention to themselves… of any kind… We will be here for one week… at sun set on the seventh day this ship will be taking off…"

"Yes mam…"

Dressed like art buyers Traya and Hykell dressed themselves in the latest fashions from Coruscant, the two pretended to be husband and wife, while Meldore acted as their body guard. T-Seven had been upgraded with a language translation pack by Traya so he served as a protocol droid. While the four of them ingratiated themselves into Onderonian high society Traya had secretly given a mission to the female Zabrak and a man by the name of Mandar Fett a Mandalorian. Their mission was to find and locate all insurrectionist and followers of General Vaklu, her plan was to break into the royal family vault and steal secret the treasures left behind by Freedon Nadd.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Politics

Kashyyk was once again under the control of the wookies, who had been enslaved by their former chief ten and Czerka Corporation. It was Revan and the crew of the Ebon Hawk who had over thrown Chuundar and Czerka and sent the Corporate leeches fleeing the planet with their tails between their legs; now Zalbarr Chundarr's brother was chief, because Freyrr had died three years after the planets liberation from Czerka. Zalbarr was a far wiser ruler than Freyrr and a more just one than Chuundarr; he saw the wisdom in joining the Republic and had sent representatives to the Supreme Chancellor, but the Chancellor refused because Zalbarr had demanded that charges be brought up against Czerka Corporation, but the Chancellor refused because he secretly wanted to bring down Czerka Executives himself and look like a hero to the Republic.

Jedi Master Jolee Bindo had been a long time ally to the Wookies aiding them during the occupation of Kashyyyk by Czerka; he even had rescued the old Chief ten Freyrr from corporate soldiers. Master Bindo had returned to Kashyyyk in order to aid the Wookies and convince them to join the Republic. Three days ago Jedi Master Juhanni arrived on Kashyyyk to help him; when Juhanni informed the Wookies that the Jedi Order was investigating Czerka and would turn over all information they found to the Wookies more of the Wookies were eager to support Zalbarr's policy to join the Republic. The Wookies had gathered together at council rock to discuss their application to the Republic. A Wookie of great renown had the _ and was making a long speech on the fact that if they joined the Republic they shouldn't allow scientists of any kind to come and study their planet.

As he continued on with his speech Mission Vao Zalbarr's long time friend and former crew member of the Ebon Hawk when Revan owned the ship walked across the platform. Mission was now an adult Twi'lek and like all the females of her species she had an exotic beauty that made even females of her species jealous. For a short while she worked as a spy for Admiral Carth Onasi at least until Zalbarr decided to return to his home world and assume the knotted thrown of his people. Mission walked up to Zalbarr and whispered into his ear. The Wookie Chief ten stood and let out a bellowing roar that silenced the Wookie with the _. Zalbarr told them that they were taking a short recess and would reconvene in two hours. When all the Wookies had left council rock Jolee Bindo, Juhanni, and a Wookie named Woorall gathered around Zalbarr.

"I feel I must thank you Zalbarr… I was about to place myself in a meditation trance…" Jolee Bindo said.

"Yeah I thought you were in one with all that snoring…" Mission said.

They all laughed, but it was Zalbarr who informed them that the Jedi Council was online to speak with them all.

"Go ahead and put it through…" Mission said into her com link.

A few seconds later life size holograms of the Jedi Masters shimmered into resolution before them along with Master Visas who was transmitting from the Republic Fleet.

"Atton… this must be really serious to drag you out of hiding…" Jolee said.

"It is good to see you to old man…" The two Jedi always joked and talked like that to each other.

Bastila cleared her throat, "This is serious Jolee… Go ahead Master Durr…"

"I am sorry to report that Master Atris has escaped exile on Telos…"

The masters looked at each other in concern and it was Ynarr who broke the silence, "So do we have a new Sith Lord on our hands?"

"We are not sure…" Bao Durr said answering. "…No one has died… yet…"

"No one we know of…" Atton said speaking up, "…She stole a ship and erased the minds of the crew members… She could be anywhere in the galaxy…"

Juhanni gasped, "What about the holocrons…"

"That's the strange thing she didn't take one… not a single one…" Bao Durr said.

["That doesn't mean she hasn't turned again…"] Gaffeen said transmitting from Mannan.

"Master Visas have you sensed a change in the attitude of the Sith remnant army…" Bastila asked.

"No… ever since I arrived I've been searching for dark siders among their ranks… I have found none…"

"We can't waist our limited resources looking for her either and if the supreme chancellor gets wind of this he could use this situation against us…"

"Then may I request you allow me to search for her…" Atton said speaking up.

"Master Atton no one appreciates your enthusiasm more than me, but you shouldn't be so wreak less… especially since we don't know what we are dealing with…"

Atton laughed, "I am no fool and I'm not trying to play hero, let me put my ear to the ground and see what I can find out… and if I find she has fallen back to the dark side I won't confront her alone… I will ask for help…"

They all agreed to his request, but no sooner did they agree Mission spoke up, "I beg your pardon if I am speaking out of turn… but two ears on the ground are better than one and my underground connections reach farther than Master Atton's…"

Jolee raised an eyebrow, "…The young Twi'lek has a point…" He said.

That is when Zalbarr roared an objection so loud those in ear shot had to cover their ears, "Zalbarr… I am not a child any more I am an adult besides…"

She was about to say something else, but Bastila cut her off, "Besides Chief Zalbarr is right… it's too dangerous and it has nothing to do with age…"

Mission sighed, "Not you too Bastilla… I mean Master Bastilla… look I don't have to even leave the planet… I can contact my low life friends from here and I have been keeping track of my brother… he has risen in rank with the Hutts and the Black Heth… Maybe he can tell me something…"

Bastila looked at all the masters of the council as they nodded yes and finally she looked at Zalbarr who growled a yes, "Alright Mission find out what you can and coordinate with Master Rand…"

"Thank you…"

"Chief Zalbarr… We didn't just call you with bad news… we have some good news as well… Jedi Knights Uleer Kando, Tyo Chy, and Amera Kolz have arrested Czerka Corporate Executives Jana Lorso, Odum Randall, and Ferrin Dase… we've also seized dozens of contracts between Czerka and customers who bought Wookie slaves… I am sending all the information to you now…" Zalbarr growled a thank you, "…No problem my friend… We will turn them over to the Wookies to be tried by Wookie law after you've joined the Republic… and Admiral Onasi in cooperation with the GRI director has assigned a special task force for recovering all the Wookies sold into slavery…" Overwhelmed all Zalbarr could do was say thank you.

["Master Gaffen how are things going on Mannan?"] Dainor asked.

["Fine everything is on schedule we have arrested most of the sith sympathizers…"]

"Good… Master Juhanni… Master Gaffeen keep in touch…" Bastilla said, "I want both ambassador parties to arrive on Coruscant at the same time…"

Ynarr Ki Lazz cleared his throat, "Master Pathos has requested to lead an expedition into the unknown regions…"

"We should wait until we have a new supreme chancellor…" Visas said.

"Agreed…" They all said at the time.

When the transmission was ended Mission went to a communications room in her private hut, she sent a transmission to her brother which would take awhile for a response. Then she contacted her old spy partner a rodian named Tiffor and explained the situation, "Anything you could tell me would be useful…"

["I've heard nothing, but I will keep my eyes open…"]

"Thanks I appreciate that…" The image faded and Mission was becoming aggravated because all her contacts gave her nothing, it was common knowledge that death followed in a sith lord's wake, but maybe Atris was smarter than your average sith. Just then her com blinked; it was her brother. "Little sis… what's up… are you still hanging around those Jedi…"

"Something like that… listen bro I need information…"

His image flickered in and out and he scratched his left head tail, "I don't know sis information costs…"

"It's me Griff… and lives are at stake here…"

"Okay… what do you need?"

"Have you heard anything out of the ordinary… like major…"

"Now that you mention it Voga the Hutt has placed a large bounty out on a female smuggler named Kri Artlan…"

Mission found that interesting, "Why what happened…"

"She stole Voga's shipment…"

"What was in it?"

"I don't know I try to stay away from stuff like that… The strange thing is that no one has ever heard of this Kri Artlan…"

"Thanks Griff…"

She ended the transmission and a few minutes later her friend Tiffor contacted her and told her the same thing Griff said. Next Mission contacted her old friend Gadon Theck leader of the Hidden Beks a swoop bike gang. He told her that and a little more; he informed her that the ship had been spotted on Onderon by one of his men who was there to do some selling.

"I heard the same things you did…" Atton said after Mission contacted him and told him what she had found out.

"It gets better because a friend informed me that the stolen Telosian freighter is on Onderon right now…"

"Well it looks like I'm headed to Onderon… Thanks Mission…"

"No problem…." She replied ending the transmission.

Mannan:

The watery world of Mannan was home to the amphibian race none as the Selkath who had remained neutral throughout both wars. It was during the war with Malak that the sith had infiltrated Selkath society by training its noble youth in the ways of the dark side. It was Revan who had exposed their treachery to the light. The Selkath had decided to join the Republic but the chancellor and his allies were blocking their membership because of their neutrality in the war.

Master Gaffeen had been on Mannan for the past three days aiding in the arrest of sith sympathizers and helping with his people's application to join the Republic. Gaffeen was in session with the Council of Judges in ironing out some more details when Judge Shalla called for a break.

["Soon Mannan will be apart of the Republic…"] Shalla said walking with Gaffeen. ["And it is all thanks to you…"]

["Thanks to all of us…"] Gaffeen replied.

["Would you care to have lunch with me…"]

After agreeing to lunch Gaffeen accompanied Judge Shalla to his estate and as they walked up the stairs Gaffeen felt a disturbance in the force.

["Something wrong…"] Shalla asked when Gaffeen removed his light saber from his belt.

["Very… stay here with the guards…"]

Judge Shalla obeyed as Gaffeen entered the mansion; as he entered the mansion the environmental controls had been altered and the servants both droids and Selkath alike were burned to a crisp.

["Show yourselves…"] He barked feeling their presence.

Three Selkath wearing black armor with the red emblems of the sith entered the room, ["We've been expecting you Jedi…"] They said at the same time.

Gaffeen ignited his light saber, but remained where he was. The three Selkath extended their hands and unleashed force lightening at Gaffeen who blocked it with his saber; as the green blade crackled and hissed from the contact with the lightening Gaffeen entered a state of calm and confidence. He began grabbing the broken furniture in the force and held them in the air behind him, Gaffeen threw the couch at the first Selkath who was too slow to react. The couch fell on top of him thinning there numbers; he threw the last two pieces at the remaining Selkath who were quicker to react than their comrade. With the distraction Gaffeen force threw his light saber at the second Selkath, the blade flew under the exploding piece of furniture and planted itself into the second Selkath. The third Selkath unhooked his light saber and with a war cry he charged Gaffeen, but Gaffeen was too evasive ducking and dodging his attacks; Gaffeen spun around and extended his hand calling his light saber when it reached his hand he twisted his wrist and stabbed the Selkath in the back; then he spun around and decapitated him. Gaffeen remained still as the body hit the floor, that is when the couch rose into the air and was thrown at Gaffeen, but he grabbed the couch in the force and deflected it. The first Selkath saw that his comrades were dead so he turned and jumped out the window. Gaffeen ran to the window and watched him fall into the ocean. Gaffeen reached out with his mind and took control of some faraxan sharks that attacked the Selkath and tore him to pieces.

["Judge Shalla!"] He yelled sensing his distress.

The two guards at the door were working for the sith and as soon as Gaffeen entered the mansion they took Shalla hostage. ["Why are you doing this…"] He asked his captures.

["Be quiet…"] The first guard barked.

["He deserves to know the truth… The sith don't want Mannan to join the Republic so we have taken it upon ourselves to aid them…"]

Everyone was thrown forward in the transport as the pilot slammed on the breaks, because Gaffeen was standing in the path way.

["Are you mad… Run him over…"] The first guard yelled.

The pilot tried to go forward, but the transport wouldn't move, ["Get out…"] The guard ordered holding Shalla in his arms with a gun to his head.

["Let him go…"] Gaffeen ordered.

["Back off or he's dead…"]

Gaffeen had to divide his focus on holding the transport and trying to disarm the guards, the guns were ripped from their hands and Gaffeen shoved the guard to the ground and told Shalla to duck. He force threw his light saber killing the pilot and the second guard. The first tried to get away, but Gaffeen threw him to the ground and held him there with the force.

["Judge Shalla will you shut down that transport I don't know how much longer I can hold it…"]

The Judge ran to the transport and quickly shut it down. It took several hours to sort out the mess and secure a trustworthy security team for Shalla and the other judges because Gaffeen insisted on scanning the minds of every single Selkath who had volunteered for service.

["I think I'll have an army if this keeps up…"] Shalla said.

["Don't temp me my friend… I feel I must apologize… I should have been more attuned to my surroundings…"]

["Don't berate yourself Master Jedi… We were lucky today…"]

Gaffeen looked at him, ["No the force was with us today…"]

["Perhaps we should expedite our admittance into the Republic…"]

["I agree and we are waiting for word from Master Visas that the Sith Remnant has been dealt with…"]

Everything was in place for the Jedi to have the Wookies and the Selkath join the Republic and Bastilla's plan was taking shape. The Supreme Chancellor needed the Jedi for the outer rim initiative, but as Bastilla planned they refused to help him and the policy fell through. Now all Jedi eyes turned to Master Visas and Admiral Carth Onasi for it was up to them to bring down the sith remnant fleet.

Hyvell Jokan was a student under Darth Malak's regime, but when Malak was killed and the star forge was destroyed he fled the unknown world of Rakata and went into hiding and after the sith lords were defeated he took control of the remnant and became Darth Zoarn. Zoarn's ongoing war with the Jedi and the Republic forced him into gorilla warfare against superior forces. He finally decided that the only way to defeat his real enemy the Jedi was too destroy them in one fail swoop and too do that he needed the ultimate force technique one that would destroy his enemies completely. He knew of the thought bomb but that was far beyond his capabilities, so he began studying the ancient weapon known as the Reaver. He had uncovered the designs to the weapon when he had visited the massassi temple on Yavin four. The reaver was a weapon of awesome power invented by Exar Kunn; the weapon could gather up all force energy in a given area and then dispel it destroying everything in its path. He didn't have the resources to build it, but he had developed a force technique similar to it. He called it the force well which absorbed all force energy in a given area killing everything. He made sure that there was no defense against the technique; he practiced the technique in a small area in a field on a planet called Suuvaf in wild space.

He raised his hands above his head and began again. In less than an hour he had the well going and it sucked all the force energy out from an area twenty-feet wide; then he unleashed it causing more destruction.

"Dam I must be faster…" He said as Zoarn became more agitated when he felt his apprentice coming. "Why are you interrupting me…" He yelled.

["Forgive me master… I have some news…"] His apprentice was an Aqualish who went by the name of Murath, ["…My lord someone has accessed the Kunn account… the one Czerka corporation is watching over… A sith my lord… A true Sith Lord…"]

Zoarn watched him as the implications formed in his mind; he slowly raised a claw like hand and grabbed poor Murath by the throat with the force, ["Master… please what have I done…"] he gasped.

"Nothing…" Darth Zoarn watched with disinterest as Murath lost conciseness and died. "I'm sorry Murath that was rude… but if what you say is true then I will be the one to serve this sith lord whoever he or she is…" Zoarn took Murath's light saber and burned the body, after burning the body he returned to the mobile compound set up on a hill and protected by a force field.

"I want to speak with the head of Czerka corp… Now!"

The people in the command center began working vigorously to establish communication and when they were done Norton Czerka President of Czerka Corporation was transmitted by hologram.

"My lord what can I do for you…"

"You know why I called…"

"I have an idea… the Kunn account… I'm afraid I have no knowledge of that… the executive officer on Nar Shadda handled that…"

"Put me through to him then…" Zoarn said agitated. A few minutes later the holographic image of Owflin Kad appeared, "You know why I called you?"

"Yes sir and I was told not to reveal anything to the sith remnant or she would kill me…"

"She… so it is a woman…" Zoarn smiled as Kad berated himself. "…I will protect you…"

He was about to speak when he started gasping and clutching his throat, apparently he was being choked by the force he collapsed and the image faded. Whoever this woman was she was very powerful at least powerful enough to kill her enemies from a distance. Zoarn left the control room and made his way to the gymnasium where General Niolus was practicing his hand to hand combat techniques on some soldiers.

"General I need to speak with you…"

The General threw a soldier to the ground and did a spin kick on a second man, then he ended the drill bowing to his sparring partners. "My lord…" he said drying his face with a towel.

"I believe a sith lord has stepped forward, but for some reason she refuses to lead us… I want you to put together a special unit to keep the Jedi off her back…"

The general grunted, "She might resent us for interfering…" "Or reward me by making me her apprentice… at any rate find her and do what you can to keep the Jedi off her back… I will send my sith assassins to help you…"

"If you do that you realize that you are risking exposing your true plans and location to the Jedi…"

"No that won't happen… I have foreseen it…"

"As you say my lord…" The general saluted and left to carry out Zoarn's orders.

Zoarn's plan was to make the Jedi think they had won the war and eliminated the sith all together. So he had over eighty percent of his forces assemble on an uncharted world known as Ruusan by the native humans. A planet that would one day become the sight of a great battle, but for now the remnant had built a fortress on the surface of the planet so that the Republic could destroy it. With the destruction of the Remnant he would be free to rebuild in secret and build an army to rival that of the Republic. The forces at Ruusan had no idea they were sacrificing themselves for Zoarn's ultimate plan. The commanding officer of the fleet was a man by the name of Trellin; Admiral Nare Trellin was in command; he had studied under Saul Karath and while he was aware of Zoarn's plan he had his own agenda and that was to kill Carth Onasi and avenge his mentor.

"Admiral on deck!" The bridge officer shouted.

"Report…" He ordered.

"Sir all ships are in position and all ground forces are ready… um no word from Lord Zoarn and his forces…"

Trellin knew why Zoarn and his forces hadn't reported in that's because they weren't in position this was a battle they were meant to lose and a battle he meant to get his revenge, "Carry on…" he ordered.

Five parsecs from Ruusan the Republic fleet was assembled and ready to attack. All the war heroes from both the Mandalorian and Sith wars were present people like Commander Rau Steel, Lt. Shara Rou, and Kernel Gard Baillio. The fleet commanders were assembled in the war room aboard the Republic flag ship the Liberator. Jedi Master Visas Marrs paced back and forth in front of the officers.

"This battle will be short lived and none of you will lose any troops… Trust in the force… Prepare for battle…"

"Nice speech… short and sweat…" Carth said as the officers dispersed

She turned to face him, "Are you mocking me?"

"No Master Visas I am just saying when dealing with warriors they look to us for inspiration and guidance…"

"They will see that after I have dealt with the Sith remnant fleet…"

Visas left before Carth could respond to her and he watched her walk away wondering if she was being arrogant or was she really offended; he decided he would have to apologize to her later and in the mean time he would make a speech when she left the ship.

Visas was blind but she could still see, she could see through the force which made her a unique force user. She climbed aboard a one man snub fighter and activated the controls, Visas had been training to fly the fighter ever since she came aboard the Liberator her lessons she received from Carth himself.

Carth was on the bridge when Visas' fighter left the ship; he had the ship com turned on and gave a speech the likes of which hadn't been heard since Admiral Dadonna commanded the fleet. Then Carth gave the order and the fleet made the micro jump to Ruusan.

"Admiral Republic ships coming out of hyperspace in sector three…" The tactical officer yelled.

"Arm all weapons… and remember make them fight our fight… General Borden… you are in command…"

"Aye sir…"

("I have some hunting to do…")

While the sith fleet prepared for battle Admiral Trellin made his way to the hanger where fifty commandos awaited his arrival; also waiting for him was an elite guard of sith assassins. Sith assassins had limited force ability, they were masters of stealth and were trained cold blooded killers. Once a group of them took out an entire fleet division; the sith assassin was developed by none other than Kreia when she was Darth Traya. What made them so dangerous against a Jedi was the fact that the more powerful the Jedi the more powerful the assassin would become and the only way to stop one or a group of them was not to use the force.  
>Trellin looked over his group of warriors, satisfied with each and everyone. "I have one goal and one goal only and that is to kill Carth Onasi… I don't care what it takes he will die today…" They didn't respond, "Load up!" He shouted and they all boarded a prototype shuttle with stealth capabilities and new weapons meant for blockade runners. Once on board it was Trellin who piloted the ship out of the hanger and into the vacuum of space.<p>

"General the enemy fleet is staying outside of our long range weapons…" The tactical officer cried back on the bridge.

"Steady men… remember we let them make the first move…"

"I know sir but the Republic fleet isn't taking any sort of battle formation…"

While General Borden analyzed the Republic formation Visas flew out towards the sith fleet. "Master Visas come in…" Carth's voice said over the com.

"I'm here admiral all systems normal… the sith fleet may try to move closer in order to put you in range of their long range weapons… if so fall back and stay out of range…"

"Copy that Master Visas… Um just what are you going to do with one fighter? When the sith detect you coming they are going to play who can vape the lone fighter first…"

Visas laughed, "They won't even get off one shot… the sith fleet will be gone in less than ten minutes…" Carth didn't reply and she could feel the waves of doubt pouring from the bridge crew of the Liberator. As Visas flew something new caught her attention rage, anger, vengeance, and hate and it was amplified even more by the sith assassins. Visas wasn't surprised she had already foreseen this; she sent a mental message to her apprentice to prepare himself and to remember his training.

"Sir a snub fighter has broken ranks from the Republic fleet it's approaching at normal speed…" The officer declared from his station.

"Send squad alpha five…"

"Aye sir…"

No sooner than the officer had sent the order his tactical screen went blank and so did the tactical screens and targeting computers of every ship in the sith fleet.

"Sir I lost tactical…"

"Sir every ship in the fleet has lost tactical and targeting systems…"

General Borden ran to each station checking them, "Switch to manual…" he ordered.

"Sir its no good it won't switch over…"

"We are sitting ducks…" The bridge officer cried.

Visas had used the force to blind the enemy in her first force attack and now it was time to unleash the second. Visas took a deep breath and exhaled then she built up her power; a force wave she built up in her hand. With one hand on the drive she raised the other and released it; a transparent wall of blue energy expanded from the snub fighter until it was the width of the sith fleet. Carth and the bridge crew of the Liberator was spell bound along with everyone else in the fleet; it was as if time had stopped; they watched as the sith fighters tried to dive under the onslaught but it was no use. The fighters were completely destroyed while the capital ships were torn apart, bent into impossible shapes, ripped in half, or completely obliterated.

"Admiral have you ever seen anything like that done before…" The second in command asked.

"Not since my service days with Revan… he did something similar to the Mandalorians… we were completely outnumbered… Seeing it again had the same affect on me then as it is having now…"

There was com static that brought everyone out of their trance, "Liberator come in please…" It was Visas' voice.

"Go ahead Master Visas…" Carth replied.

"Search the wreckage for survivors… I am heading planet side and I will contact you when the fortress has been taken care of… Master Visas out…"

"Incredible…" Trellin declared piloting the stealth ship.

Behind him he heard the commandos grumble about the loss of their comrades and friends, the assassins said nothing in fact they seemed to be delighting in the destruction just witnessed.

"Republic scum…" An officer shouted.

"Quiet all of you we are about to get some payback…" Trellin said. He brought the ship around from the rear of the fleet as the Republic fleet dispersed into formation and sent several squads to search the sith fleet graveyard. Not even the star pilots of the Republic could visually spot the ship because it used a reflective hologram plates to blend in with the background. It wasn't until Trellin fired his turbo-laser guns at the side of the Liberator's main hanger. Trellin flew the ship into the hanger and started firing his missiles inside the hanger killing dozens of ship personnel.

"Admiral we a have breach in the main hanger…" The bridge officer shouted.

"Go to red alert and lock down all turbo lifts and passages…"

Trellin landed his ship and left three soldiers on board while he and the rest of the commandos disembarked. As soon as they left the ramp the surviving troops in the hanger began firing. Blaster fire filled the hanger bolts were fired from every direction as Trellin and his men took cover.

"You three take them down…" Trellin ordered to the head assassin and as soon as the words left his mouth three assassins vanished into thin air.

In a matter of minutes nine Republic soldiers cried out and died decreasing the number of blaster bolts. Then seconds after the first nine died another three breathed their last and then five.

"Hold your fire!" Trellin ordered to his men.

Now the only shots being fired were those of the Republic, but in the span of eight minutes all was quiet except for the fires being put out by the droids and an explosion here and there.

"Move out!" Trellin ordered.

His Sith commandos walked across the floor of the hanger to the exit which they blew open and went up the hall.

"Don't fire until I tell you…"

This order came from Visas' apprentice, a man by the name of Haal Wendu an ancestor of the legendary Mace Wendu. Haal was very gifted in the force and a very skilled swordsman, in fact he was farther along in his studies than some Jedi with the rank of knight and like his descendant he wielded a violet blade light saber; two in fact.

Trellin and his men fought from deck to deck and the only reason they survived was because of the assassins otherwise they would have died on the common soldier's deck. They had made it to the observation deck and was planning to shimmy up the turbo lift shaft to the command deck. A young commando with a talent for slicing locks was working on the door, but what they didn't know and was evident to the assassins was that on the other side of the door Haal Wendu stood. He pointed a clawed hand at the door and ripped it off its track and threw it on several commandos and assassins killing them. He ignited both his sabers and cut through the assassins and commandos like a vibro-blade through paper. Three commandos went down at the same time and he force shoved three men to the floor. Three of the assassin had light sabers so they ignited them and attacked Haal at the same time.

"Now!" Haal shouted and the Republic soldiers broke hiding and attacked Trellin's commandos from all sides.

While the battle slowly turned in favor of Haal and the Republic soldiers, Trellin managed to sneak past them all and make it to the turbo-lift where he shot a grapple up the lift and began climbing towards the command deck.

The Surface of Ruusan:

The moment Visas' fighter broke through the atmosphere every gun in the fortress began firing into the air, but because of Visas' force reflexes the gunners weren't able to get a lock on her. From the air she located the shield generator and through her force sight she could see every mine surrounding the fortress; if Carth's forces tried to take the fortress from the air or the ground they would be annihilated, but that wouldn't happen because she planned to do to the fortress what she did to the fleet. She made one more pass as she mentally searched for any dark siders, but she found no one. ("Maybe there are no more sith lords…") She thought to herself.

Visas flew south just outside the long range cannons and landed, she only had a few minutes before the sith commander who ever he or she was would send a search party. As soon as Visas' feet touched the ground she pointed both hands in the direction of the fortress; as before her force attack was in two parts the first was a simple telekinetic shove to detonate all the mines around the fortress. Explosion after explosion could be both heard and seen in the distance and as that was happening she built up her power again and unleashed a wave of force power upon the fortress. The wave tore up the ground uprooted trees or knocked them over and when the wave hit the fortress it ripped it apart from the foundations to the all nine towers and the underground structures as well. When the dust settled all that was left of the fortress was a pile of rubble.

The Liberator:

"Check the ship make sure there are no others on board sabotaging the ship systems…" Haal ordered to his men.

"Sir one man got through… he is headed to the command deck and there are three sith commandos in the hanger held up on board that ship…"

Using the force Haal ran through the ship to the Hanger unconcerned for Carth Onasi's safety for he had foreseen the outcome of that, but he needed to get to the hanger because when those soldiers learned that their comrades were dead they would blow the ship up killing everyone on board and he couldn't let that happen. Haal Wendu arrived in the hanger just as the ship was about to explode; he threw out his hands and encased the blast in a bubble of force energy trying to contain it until it dissipated. The soldiers watched in wonder as the padawan held the blast in place; Haal fell to his knees as his face contorted and his arms began to shake; great balls of sweat ran down his face, but he wouldn't give up. When the fire ball extinguished itself he passed out.

"Let's get him to the medical bay…" A Lt. said waving his men over. The entire incident was captured by a holo-news droid who recorded the Republic soldiers taking him to the medical bay.

The doors to the bridge were blown open and in walked Trellin holding a thermo detonator, but it was attached to an explosive device that was remotely controlled by a control pad in his right hand

"Stay back… or I will blow us all into space…" Trellin said entering the bridge.

Several soldiers had their guns pointed at the lone man while others picked themselves up off the floor from the blast. Only three people died in the explosion.

"Where is Carth Onasi…"

"I'm here…" Said Carth stepping out from behind two officers, "Calm down…"

"At last… I shall have my revenge…"

"Revenge…" Carth asked in confusion

"Yes revenge… You killed my mentor Admiral Saul Karath…"

"Saul was a traitor and a twisted monster…"

"He was a great man… and I will avenge him…"

"Look around you… your comrades are dead and even if you detonate that bomb what will you accomplish?"

Trellin smiled, "Fool you know nothing… I came here to duel you one on one man to man… if you agree I won't detonate the bomb, but if you refuse everyone on this bridge will die…"

"Don't do it Admiral… I have a bead on him…"

"Hing it up soldier that's an order…" reluctantly the soldier complied and Carth gave his blaster to the same man. "…Alright we will use vibro-swords…" An android handed Carth a strait blade, while Trellin pulled out his own sword which had a curved blade.

"I am going to enjoy this…" Trellin beamed as if he had already won.

"Listen up! If I should fall to his sword he is to placed under arrest and taken to Coruscant for trial… Am I understood!"

"Yes sir!" The bridge crew reluctantly replied.

"How noble of you…"

Trellin let out a war cry and charged Carth with all his might trying to kill him with sheer aggression. Carth met his blade with the finesse and skill of a master swordsman, but because both men had studied sword play under Saul Karath they were about evenly matched. Carth however had one advantage he had fought along side Jedi and over the years he had picked up a few moves from Jedi like Revan and Bastilla and even Visas who had given him a few pointers. Carth switched to a one handed sword stance and stepped inside Trellin's space grabbing his sword hand and twisting it; then he brought his sword down severing his sword hand and with the severed hand still attached he spun around and impaled Trellin with his own sword. Carth spun back the same direction and slashed his throat. Trellin gagged and fell to his knees and then to his back as he tried to grab the remote from his belt, but Carth slashed the belt from his waist and picked it up.

"Yo..u… You… Have won nothing…" Trellin said with his dying breath.

The bridge crew breathed a sigh of relief, the battle was over and not one soldier had died with the exception of the men who fought the boarders in the hanger and lower levels of the ship.

The Republic fleet finished their sweep of the debris field of the sith fleet and found only thirteen survivors. When they were done Carth had several transports sent down to the planet surface to search the rubble of the Sith fortress and found only nineteen survivors.

Haal Wendu stood on the surface of Ruusan all was quiet, then the sky turned black and the roar of two great armies ran towards each other; one army was made up of Sith and the other Jedi. They crashed into each other as warriors died on both sides, the death toll was innumerable. Haal wanted to stop them but he couldn't and there was a laugh on the wind. Then something strange happened a large icy white sphere began to engulf the battle field and all was quiet. Haal stood alone on the battle field but he could hear the tortured souls inside the sphere and he knew what it was a thought bomb. Haal's master had taught him about thought bombs and the only known force users to unleash a proper one was her former master Darth Nihilus and he only did it to cause enough death in order to feed his force hunger. Haal thought he was alone but he felt a dark presence watching him he turned and there were two shadowy figures standing on a hill over looking the battle field. One was a man; a brute of a man towering over the diminutive figure next to him. A woman with golden hair and a double edged light saber; the man was pleased with himself and that is when Haal realized that the man was responsible for the thought bomb. He had killed both Jedi and sith. He said something, ("There shall only be two; a master and an apprentice…") but he couldn't make out what he was saying. The shadowy figure of the man pointed, but Haal was reluctant to turn and then he heard a strange noise which made him turn; he found himself on the steps of the Jedi Temple it was different from the one he knew and an army of white clad soldiers were walking up the steps of the temple; they were being led by another shadowy figure a Jedi but something was wrong with this Jedi. As the dark figure lead the troops into the temple screams and light sabers could be heard from outside; then there were explosions and fire, the temple was on fire. Haal tried to enter the temple but his path was blocked by debris and rubble. Haal heard a deep masked menacing breathing noise so he turned and standing behind him were two new shadowy figures one was an old man and the second was a cyborg looking being dressed all in black from his head which had a frightening mask on it to his black booted feet. That is when Haal realized the two of them ruled an empire that had replaced the Republic, but the empire fell and the two shadowy figures were engulfed by a white blue light. This time when Haal turned he found himself staring into the face of a man with an innocent yet hardened look. A look of peace and serenity yet tainted with the woes of a thousand worlds; that is when Haal realized that the man he was staring at was a Jedi Master and behind him was thousands of Jedi. The man smiled and it brought comfort to Haal's heart, but something began to tug at him and he awoke.

When Haal's eyes opened they opened to the kind caring face of his blind Master Visas Marrs, "Welcome back…" She said.

He tried to sit up, "…Master I saw…"

She placed a calming hand on him and gently pushed him back down, "I know… you saw the future…"

"How do you know?"

"You forget padawan that I can see beyond what normal Jedi can see and I saw your visions…"

"How can we stop that war… I mean if we destroyed the sith today…"

She smiled, "Things aren't always what they seem and the vision you had is a long way off…"

He laid his head down on the pillow and thought about what she said and all his training, "Master can we prevent those things from happening…"

"We could try… but I don't think we would succeed…"

"Then why have a vision in the force if our decisions affect the future and then there are things we cannot control… why do we have them…"

"We have them so that we can prepare ourselves… sometimes the visions are to show us that all is not lost and that is what I took from your vision…"

"What else did you get…" He asked hoping to find a way to stop it by what she would tell him, "…Oh and what about the man on the hill could you tell what he was saying…"

"Listen to me padawan… I don't want you obsessing over this vision… I have seen it happen among my people and even the Jedi… obsessing over future events that destroyed them… I will tell you this though your bloodline will play a role in future events…" Visas could sense a calm and peace wash over the padawan which confirmed her next decision, "…I hear you saved the ship from some sith commandos…"

"It was nothing master any Jedi would have done…"

"Well done padawan maintain that humility it will serve you well… especially as a Jedi Knight…"

Haal sat up, "Me a Jedi Knight… but master what about the trials…"

"The trials aren't the only way to become a Jedi… all masters have the authority to grant the rank and so I grant it to you… Now take a knee and remove your robe…" Haal did as he was told; Visas took out a case she had brought with her and opened it, inside was a new robe the robe of a Jedi Knight. As Haal put the robe on Visas unhooked her light saber and ignited it she brought the blade down on his right shoulder, "Padawan Haal Wendu… you are no longer a padawan, strength and honor are yours in the service of others… this is the path of the Jedi…" She brought the blade down to his left shoulder making sure not to touch his clothes or skin, "…No longer will you be known as Padawan Haal Wendu but from this day forth you will be known as Jedi Knight Haal Wendu with all the rights and responsibilities… Arise Jedi Wendu…"

He stood up and interlocked arms with Visas, "I am honored master…"

After that Visas and the now Jedi Wendu helped interrogate the sith survivors who knew nothing about the whereabouts of Atris or the existence of other Sith. The interrogations lasted for over two hours and afterwards Carth, Visas, and Haal shuttled down to the planet and invited the people of Ruusan to join the Republic to which they heartily agreed.

Suuvaf:

General Raun Niolus ran up the hall to Zoarn's meditation room he was about to chime the door, "Come in General Niolus…" Zoarn said before he could press the button.

The door swooshed open and in the general reverently walked in, "My lord our forces have been destroyed…"

He knelt on the floor with his eyes closed, "I know… by Jedi Master Visas Marrs… She is a powerful one… if only she could be turned back to the dark side…"

The General cleared his throat, "Um there were a few survivors they are being taken back to Coruscant for trial…"

"That doesn't concern me… what of our agents aiding the sith lord…"

"I have good news my lord… she is on Onderon… pretending to be an art buyer… um she has a ship called the inferno… We have been shadowing her movements… our people last reported the Ebon Hawk in the area as well…"

Zoarn smiled, "Ah the legendary Ebon Hawk… no doubt Atton Rand has come out of hiding again…" An Admiral's insignia floated into the air and into Niolus' hand, "…Since Admiral Trellin is dead you are now Admiral…"

He bowed, "Thank you my lord I won't fail you…"

"I know…" He opened his eyes and looked at Niolus, "Where is my shipment Admiral?"  
>"Well my lord it was stolen by the sith lord…"<br>"I see and what of Voga…"

"He has placed a bounty on her head…" Zoarn raised both eyebrows, "…I don't think he knows she's a sith lord…"  
>He grunted, "Ignorance is no excuse… Anyway I suppose we have to count the down payment I invested as a tribute to the sith lord… you are dismissed admiral…" He bowed and exited.<p>

Coruscant three days after the battle of Ruusan:

"What kind of non-sense is this…" Balhorn barked walking up the hall to his podium that rose up into the senate house. "…This goes against all protocol …What kind of Senator orders an emergency meeting of congress and tells the Supreme Chancellor at the last minute…"

"Calm down sir…" Liorran said following him up the hall, "…If you go into session angry it will only make things worse…"

"How can things be worse… someone is playing games… and I intend to win…" Balhorn and Liorran entered his office together where his two aids Chief of Justice Orvis Moon who was a male Twi'lek and Chief Councilor Car Honeth a male human were waiting. "How long has the assembling been going on?" Balhorn asked.

"Two hours sir…" Moon said.

"Two hours! Someone will pay for this…"  
>"What are they discussing…" Liorran asked.<p>

The two aids looked at each other and it was Honeth who answered, "Um we don't know…"

Balhorn stopped what he was doing, "What…"

"They aren't recording the minutes sir…"

"So I'm going to march into the senate not knowing what is going on…"

"I'm sorry sir… we tried to send a droid in but it's a closed session… public officials only…"

"Fine…" Balhorn made his last minute preparations and took his place on the podium in between his aids, "…Liorran remain here and find out what you can…"

"Yes sir…"

Balhorn pressed the button and the podium began to rise up into the auditorium as the podium rose Balhorn heard a thunderous applause. "We must also welcome the government of Mannan to the fold of the Republic…" Senator Koviss was cut off as the senators whispered among themselves because the chancellor's podium rose to its full height. Koviss had the floor and his platform floated level with the chancellor's podium. "Ah Supreme Chancellor Balhorn… you finally decide to show…"

Some of the senators laughed as Balhorn looked around the auditorium and noticed that some of his political allies were arriving late as well then he noticed Bastilla and most of the Jedi council in the observation box.

"My apologies to all it would seem my office received a late memo about today's session…"

"Perhaps you should fire your staff for their… incompetence…"  
>The auditorium burst into laughter again; it was no secret the animosity between Balhorn and Koviss they were always going at it verbally attacking each other both in public and private and Senator Koviss was in rare form.<p>

"That was cute Senator Koviss… Now would you bring me up to speed…"

"You mean you don't even know why we are here…"

"That's right Senator it would seem that the person who called this meeting forgot to have the minutes recorded… perhaps you should fire your staff…"

Koviss smiled, "We are getting ready to approve the following systems for membership into the alliance… Mannan, Kashyyk, and Ruusan…" Koviss took great pleasure in the expression on Balhorn's face.

Balhorn was floored he had been outmaneuvered and turned his attention to Bastilla thinking she had orchestrated the whole thing. "I suppose you had something to do with this?"

Bastilla didn't answer and not because she was afraid to she had to make Balhorn play by her rules, "Supreme Chancellor… the Jedi were the ones who delivered these planets to us… we are ready to vote unless you have some objection…" Koviss said regaining control of the situation.

Balhorn had to do something if he backed the induction of those planets then he would be made to look weak, if he opposed it he would be made to look like a villain. He smiled, "I would only be too happy to welcome the planets of Mannan, Kashyyyk, and Ruusan into our fold…" A thunderous applause filled the auditorium, but Balhorn cleared his throat and raised his hand, "I will sign all three applications, but the government of Mannan should know that I will be filing charges against their planet for their secret alliance with the Sith Empire…"

A wave of shock went over the auditorium and subsided when Bastilla spoke up, "Supreme Chancellor Balhorn that won't be necessary… Master Gaffeen and Judge Shalla along with other officials have made arrests and are willing to turn the guilty parties over to the Republic for trial and judgement…"

The senators cheered and applauded Bastilla, "…I would like to thank Grand Master Bastilla Shan and Jedi Master Gaffeen for their level headedness in this situation and I would like to apologize on behalf of the senate for the chancellor's… actions…"

Now Balhorn was furious and as the session went on he became angrier by the minute. Holo-vids of the battle at Ruusan was displayed for the senate showing Jedi Master Visas Marrs single handedly defeating the sith remnant fleet and her former apprentice Haal Wendu saving the Liberator from destruction. As the information was released Balhorn received opinion poles on the Jedi which were increasing; slowly he was losing all face value.

Bastilla and the Jedi council presented evidence to the senate on Czerka corporation's ties to the fallen sith empire and that they were releasing that information to the Wookies so that Executive Officers Jana Lorso, Odum Randall, and Ferrin Dase could be judged by Wookie law.

"Supreme Chancellor may I request before the senate that you release funds to the order for the purpose of properly reestablishing the Jedi order…"

Balhorn was furious, but he maintained his composure, "Master Shan I…"

"Begging your pardon sir… I just received a memo from Master Bao Durr… The Aratech Corporation has bought his designs for a new capital ship… it seems we have no need of Republic funds…"

He smiled, "As you say master Jedi… If there are no further issues then I would like to adjourn for today…"

The senators left the auditorium while others discussed today's events in their own little groups. As the chancellor's podium lowered to his office he noticed Koviss laughing and talking with the Jedi.

"How'd it go…" Lorrian asked when Balhorn stepped out of his podium.

"It was a fiasco…" Balhorn said.

"It wasn't that bad…"

"Your right it was worse… those dam Jedi made me look like a fool today…"

"Then you must fight back…" Judge Orvis said who was in league with Bastilla.

"Are you mad?" Liorran yelled.

"I beg your pardon…"

"Sir listen to me…" Liorran placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "…It would be unwise to continue fighting with Master Bastilla… make peace sir then you can blind slide her…"

"You have over stepped your bounds woman…"

They started arguing, but Balhhorn stopped them, "Enough… Liorran is right…" He turned to Honeth, "…I need you to put together a law that will allow me to change the head of the Jedi order with at least two signatures from master Jedi…"

"I'll get right on it sir…" Honeth replied leaving the office.

"Liorran I want to speak with my cousin and I need you to find Master Lazz… and try to locate Master Vandarr… oh no locate Master Pathos…"

"Yes sir…"

"What about me…" Orvis asked.

"I'd like to start judicial proceedings to have Koviss removed from the Senate…"

"Is that wise sir?"

"No, but I want to immobilize Koviss for the time being…"

"Consider it done…"

Balhorn was left alone trying to salvage his career because if things like that continued he was looking at facing a vote to elect a new supreme chancellor. His thoughts were interrupted by a chime from the com box on his desk. He hit the button and a life sized holographic image of his cousin the king of Corellia appeared.

"Ah my cousin what can I do for you?" He asked looking regal in his flowing red cloak and gold embroidered vest. King Dale Balhorn was six feet three inches tall he wore a sheathed sword on his side and a jeweled diadem on his head.

The Chancellor bowed because he was member of the royal family and protocol demanded it even though he himself was supreme chancellor, "Dear Cousin I need your council and wisdom…" Dale listened as Balhorn recalled to him the session he had with the senate.

"It sounds to me like the Jedi and their friends are planning to have you kicked out of the office… don't be surprised if they call a special session of congress and Koviss asks you to step down…"

"Yes but how do I fix this… I had the chief council begin creating a law that will give me the power to appoint a new grand master to the Jedi Order…"

"That is one way you can go or…" He hesitated. "…you could just step down and save yourself the embarrassment…"

"With all due respect my lord… I am the second son of their majesties Count Victor Balhorn and Countess Sayvell of Cortan… my lineage demands I fight…"

"Don't get dramatic cousin..."

"I'm sorry… I need people around me I can trust… would you send me five legions of your troops…"

Dale sighed, "I have my own political problems with the house of Solo…"

"Thracken-Han Solo causing you trouble again?"

"Of course he is… I will send the troops but you need to play nice… at least with the Jedi Council… they are supporting the Solo family and their policies…"

The chancellor ran a hand through his hair, "…Of course. Thank you my lord I won't forget this…"

"Good because I want you to declare martial law on all the five worlds…"

"Now who is getting drastic… Done I will send the necessary papers for you to do so…"

The image vanished and when it did Balhorn contacted a secret lab he was funding with his own money, "Doctor Wesmier how are the experiments going?"

["Fine sir we have a living specimen… the prototype is healthy and fully functional…"] The holographic image of a Bith answered.

"Good very good… when can you move to human subjects…"

["Uh well… that is impossible sir the technology doesn't exist… as you know the force is in all living things and manifests itself as medi-chloriants according to the number of medi-chloriants say over five hundred the being can touch the force itself… hence the Jedi and the sith these cells can't exist without the life energy but only in rare cases like the exile whose energy was sapped from his cells… to make a long story short the only way we can create a being with the same abilities as the experiment is to do it through cloning and the technology doesn't exist anywhere in the galaxy at least not yet…"]

"Can you mass produce the experiment?"

"It takes to long sir so we are creating a female subject and will mate them as soon as possible…"

"Do you need anything else from me…"

"Some more assistants…"

"You will have it Balhorn out…"

As soon as the image faded Liorran entered the office with Jedi Masters Ynarr Ki Lazz and Uri Pathos. Pathos was taller than the Twi'lek Jedi with his shoulder length hair in a pony tail his face was clean shaven rather long and slender with strong bone structure. His hair was snow white a trade mark of his race the Allurians to which Atris was. Pathos had studied under master Vandarr all his life and before Vandarr retired he was granted the rank of Jedi Master. Ynarr Ki Lazz was a distant cousin to Jedi Master Zhar who died defending the Dantooine academy from Malak's forces, but unlike his cousin Lazz's skin was a pale yellow.

"Ah thank you masters for coming…"

"It was no problem chancellor…" Pathos said.

"I would like to apologize for the council's actions Supreme Chancellor…" Lazz said trying to sound concerned, "…if I had known what Master Bastilla was up too…"

"No apology is necessary…"

"Master Bastilla was endorsed by Master Vandarr… that is the only reason the other masters support her…"

Balhorn studied the two Jedi, "How would one of you like to be grand master…" They looked at each other as Balhorn explained his new policy that would allow him with the signature of two masters to appoint a new grand master.

"I think Master Lazz would be the right choice… he has more experience than I… if your plan was to work…"

Lazz nodded in agreement as Balhorn spoke up, "It will work especially if the two of you used your force abilities to counter Bastilla…"

"We can do that…" They said at the same time.

They all stood up and shook hands, "The next time you here from me I will have a policy that will remove Bastilla Shan from the head position and replace her with Master Lazz…"

"I hope you know what you're doing…" Liorran said when the two Jedi had left the office.

"I do…" He confidently replied.

While Balhorn was scrambling to fight back Jedi Masters Lazz and Pathos made their way to Senator Koviss' office where Bastilla and most of the Jedi council was waiting. Bao Durr was transmitting from Onderon. Aaneda was there and so was Chief Justice Orvis, Admiral Carth Onasi, The GRI director and Mission who had come to Coruscant to meet with her old friend Gadon Theck.

"That was the best session I had ever been in…" Koviss said offering everyone a toast.

"I wouldn't celebrate to fast…" Master Pathos said; he looked at Lazz. "…Tell them."

Ynarr Ki Lazz told them about their meeting with the chancellor and his plan to have Master Shan removed from her post as grand master. "He is getting desperate…" Mia Shale said.

"Yes and it is time to spring the trap…" Bastilla said, "…Aaneda I need you to return to Senator Mont and tell him to hold a discreet pole of the senate… in two days Koviss will call an emergency meeting of the senate and all will

be well…"

"I better get moving then…"

Bastilla and her allies continued their secret meeting for another three hours discussing things like Padawans Moore and Deila they were on the inside of the slave ring in deep cover and it was Brianna who suggested that the GRI director send a strike team to aid them when the time came. Visas wanted to send Haal Wendu to Mon Calamar and negotiate a truce between the Quarren and the Mon Calamari. When they had gone over every possible topic to discuss they all discreetly left the office.

Senate House: Two days later

Senator Koviss had called a special session of the senate and everyone was on time; the pieces were in play and it would be a session of congress no one would forget. Liorran was alone in the lower office waiting for the chancellor to return; when the doors opened and in walked Mission and Jedi Master Pathos.

"Liorran Hapes… third cousin to the Hapan Queen Mother Ovella… hired by her aunt the Countess Shyvell to assassinate the Queen Mother…" Pathos said.

Liorran didn't flinch or respond, "All immediate family members killed by the royal guard with the exception of the Queen Mother's favorite niece who is living in exile…" Mission said speaking up. "…Her majesty has a rather large bounty on your head… dead or alive… preferably dead…"

"Outstanding… I thought I had outrun all that…" Liorran said, "…So what do you want me to do?"

"Leave…" Pathos said, "…Leave the core worlds and never return…"

"And if I don't…"

It was Mission who answered, "Then I tell the Bounty Hunter's guild where to find you…"

"We have several fake IDs for you, a hundred thousand credits, and a ship which is yours waiting for you at the Jedi temple…. you can go anywhere in the galaxy you wish… Balhorn's career is over…"`

"I guess I will be taking you up on that… but before I go I would like to say that Balhorn was right about you Jedi something has to be done in order to control you better…" Liorran left with her head held high and a regal air about her.

"She took it well…" Mission said.

Pathos sighed, "I wish that was unnecessary… I also wish I could say the same for Balhorn…"

"Well my job here is done… I'm off to Kashyyyk…"

Some of the senators were aware of what was about to happen and were anxiously waiting for the bantha fodder to hit the fan. Senator Koviss' hover stand floated out to the center of the auditorium with his aids sitting in rank behind him.

He cleared his throat, "Senators… my fellow delegates… I want to thank you all for your quick response to today's proceedings… indeed the information I am about to present to you is disturbing in all its implications…" Koviss started off with a brief history of the republic and its formation; next he went into how the Jedi have served the Republic in the past present and the future, "…Because of their tireless self sacrifices on our behalf the war is over… And how does our illustrious supreme chancellor chose to reward them, by blocking funds they need to properly rebuild the Jedi order… he has declared war against Jedi Master Bastilla Shan… and now he is secretly planning to use psycho-noptic-hypno treatments on republic citizens…" As Koviss explained this plan the senate broke out into an uproar, with people yelling back and forth.

"Order… I say order!" Judge Orviss yelled.

"How do you answer Senator Koviss' allegations?" Senator Horfen of Roth said.

Balhorn was furious his cousin was right, but before he allowed them to call for a vote of no confidence he was going to have his say and resign, "I was endorsed by Jedi Masters Vandarr and Pathos, but now I see this was a plot to stain the office of the supreme chancellor… You know our history as well as I do… and that history is filled with war… the great hyperspace war, the war with Exar Kunn and the madalorian and sith wars after that… and what do all these wars have in common… The Jedi and the Sith… If the Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice then where do the sith come from… I will tell you the Jedi… the Jedi are responsible for monsters like Freedon Nadd, Ajunta Pall, Darth Revan, Darth Malak and so on the cycle continues and it doesn't stop… it won't stop unless you have the courage to implement my new policy… It may seem harsh but it will put an end to the sith once and for all, but that won't happen and do you all want to know why… You are all blind…" When Balhorn said this most of the senators began booing and hackling him. "Blind to the lies of the Jedi… Well I won't stand by and watch the galaxy be torn apart by the next war to come… I resign effective immediately…" Balhorn hit the button on his platform and it lowered into the office below as the senate broke out into another uproar.

When Balhorn got to his office it was empty, "Liorran…" He called and that is when a holographic image appeared explaining that she had a past that it had caught up with her and that she was sorry, but she had to move on and it was nothing personal. The doors opened and in walked Balhorn's friend and political ally Senator Iris Frost of Allura. "Chancellor…"

"Don't call me that Frost I resigned…"

"Resigning is not the answer…"

"And staying to watch my career fall apart is… I should have listened to my cousin in the first place… I mean what was I thinking trying to out think the Jedi…"

She sighed, "You were thinking end the madness of the sith…"

Just then the doors opened again and in came Senator Naideen of Taris which was still under the reformation process, "What happened in there was an outrage… I'm going to petition the courts to have the Jedi order investigated…"

"Don't my friend you will only make things worse… the two of you should return to the senate…"

"We should be here…" Iris said she looked around and noticed Liorran wasn't around, "And where is Liorran she is needed…"

Balhorn sighed and told them about the message that was left for him; then he showed it to them.

"This is a farce…" Jurius Balhorn of Corellia yelled, "…and I will not sit still for it… no Corillian will… I am in contact with his majesty King Dale Balhorn and he has given me permission to withdraw the five worlds of Corellia from the Republic until this body reinstates Chancellor Balhorn and his policy is made law…" Without waiting for any type of response Jurius and his aids left the senate house.

"Well that's no surprise Corillians are always leaving the Republic…" The remaining senators laughed at Koviss' comment. "I propose to the senate that we allow nominations to be placed and we have a vote."

The Jedi council sat at the temple watching the proceedings via holonet well pleased as the votes were cast Bastilla muted the sound. "We need to send some Jedi to Corellia… our best and brightest…"

"Master Shan we are spread out to thin… if this keeps up the temple will be empty…" Lazz said.

"What if we gave all our padawans the rank of Jedi Knight… padawans like Cullen Voles, Gyward Lios and Ninor Tau Ku (Male Barabel)." Tunnell said.

"Voles and Tau Ku may be ready for knighthood, but Lios' arrogance knows no bounds…" Master Helm said.

"We will grant young Voles and Tau Ku knighthood and send them to Corellia Thracken-Han Solo has been our long time ally… turning Corellia into a electoral state will be beneficial in the long run…" Bastilla said.

The holo-viewer was un-muted as the senate elected Julion Van Mont to the office of Supreme Chancellor; the Jedi had given their endorsement through Jedi Master Pathos.

Julion Van Mont was in his early forties, he had brown hair with gray streaks here and there; he stood at six feet and one inch. Mont had a muscular build and kept in shape through a strict exercise regiment. Mont had two nicknames 'A friend of the little man' and 'Senator Ladies man'; he wore an elegant two piece white suit of Oderonian design.

He cleared his throat, "My friends, senators, and fellow delegates… noble citizens of the Galactic Republic… Thank you…" A thunderous applause went up and lasted for twelve minutes, "…I am humbled by your nomination of me to the office of Supreme Chancellor… I am not going to make promises I can't keep, but I will promise to serve you with same determination and excellence that I served with as Senator of Onderon… I will not rest until every planet in the Republic is restored to its former glory… The previous administration was right about one thing and that we have suffered enough… I intend to work with the Jedi Council not to brain wash our citizens but to council them so that future Jedi will continue in their role of service to the Republic… We cannot undue the mistakes of the past, but we can strive for a better tomorrow…" Mont's went on to say in his speech that he wanted the senators to work with him and put an end to selfish political campaigns. "My first act as Supreme Chancellor is to grant the Jedi order the funds they need to properly rebuild their order… Next I intend to create the Republic's first anti-slavery laws and abolish slavery throughout the republic…" Another thunderous applause rose up in the senate which lasted an hour. Mont outlined his agenda which included open admittance for any planet in the galaxy, a resolution that called for the Republic to dissolve the military, and a policy that called for the senate to show its members how credits were being spent.

Office of the supreme chancellor:

"I wanted to thank all of you for your help in getting me into office…" Mont said.

"You don't have to thank us…" Bastilla said.

The office was filled with the Jedi Council with the exception of Master Bao Durr who had gone with Atton to Onderon. Senators Koviss, Ma'Chall Nu (Neimodian) and Bbvarru (Bith). Chief Justice Orviss and Judge Marcen Ubeal.

"I'm afraid that its not time to celebrate chancellor… we have to arrest Senator Olang and Judge Jiarr Haff… for slavery charges…" Mia Shale said.

"I can't believe it…" Mont said floored by the revelation.

"Yes it seems that these two are in charge of a slave trade operation that goes all the way to the Mordein system… and Terroth…" Brianna said.

"We have no jurisdiction on Terroth…" Mont replied.

"Which is why we the Jedi council should handle this…" Lazz said speaking up.

"The Terrothians will go to war first…" Mont sighed, "…I am asking the council to leave Terroth out of their investigation…"

The council didn't like it but they agreed to Mont's request. The conversation went to Padawan's Moore and Deila exposing the slave ring to what to do about Corellia where the Jedi revealed that they were sending two Jedi Knights to the system; then they discussed topics like the military and the restoration projects throughout the galaxy.

Corellia:

After the fiasco in the senate Balhorn and his brother returned to their home world where they received a royal greeting from the King Dale. The royal family threw a lavish party to celebrate the end of an era because the Solo family lead by Thracken-Han Solo was pushing for the government to become an election state where it's leaders were elected and not born to positions of power. After the party King Dale decreed that Corellia was no longer a member of the Republic and he put out arrest warrants for the entire Solo family.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. The New Darth Traya

"Darth Zoarn Ha…" Traya said alone in her room waiting for Hykell, T-Seven, Meldore, the female Zabrak named Shiora, and Mandar Fett to return. Traya had been on Onderon for the past five days; she had made friends with Count Grayland who was minister of antiquities. She and Hykell spent time with him in order to learn palace protocol for the vault in emergency situations and at the same time Traya subtlety stole palace codes from his mind. "…What a fool." She continued to say. Traya thought Zoarn was a fool because he had killed his apprentice trying to catch her attention in order to become her apprentice. It was an impressive move but useless she had a plan and she was sticking to it; there was one thing he had she wanted and that was the blue prints to the Reaver and his new force technique the force well, but she would deal with him soon enough, in fact Traya was going to deal with all her old friends.

"I am Darth Traya and I will hide who I am no more…" She said aggravated by all the false identities she had assumed.

Bao Durr and Atton Rand were on Onderon and so were Zoarn's soldiers which were there to protect her and that too Traya found funny, a Sith Lord needing protection from the likes of Atton Rand and Bao Durr.

"Finally…" Traya said as the door opened and Hykell and the others entered the suite. "Report…" She ordered.

"My lady everything is in place the insurgents will attack tonight…" Fett said.

"Good… T-Seven I want you to return to the Inferno and have the crew launch tell them to remain in low orbit of Dxun… but leave two shuttles with a three man crew for each that will be your escape…"

"What about you mistress?" T-Seven asked.

"Don't worry about me… I'll find my own way back to the Inferno…"

"As you say mistress…"

Traya outlined her plan to them Fett was to deliver some of the weapons to the insurgents and as the assault began he would disappear and head to the rendezvous point. Shiora was to plant bombs at the main gate, the servant's entrance, and the outer wall; then she was to meet at the rendezvous also. While the chaos unfolded Traya, Hykell, and Meldore were to break into the vault and find what they could.

"You know Onderonian art is worth a lot on the black market…" Meldore said.

"I'm not interested in a bunch of trinkets…" She said.

"Two members of the Jedi council are here…" Fett said.

"They won't be a problem…" Traya could feel their doubts. "Now remember your roles and play them well…"

That night Count Grayland held a party for the nobility of Onderon and Traya had to trick Grayland into believing he had introduced her to the Queen of Onderon an uneasy task. As the night drew on the time was approaching fast that Traya's plan would come to fruition.

"It's time…" She whispered to Hykell.

He looked at her, "It's early…"

"I know… We have a problem… the Jedi are on the way…"

"How do you know?" He asked.

"You will find out soon enough…"

They made their way across the ballroom with Traya to the servants exit and they were joined by Martland. At the main entrance Atton and Bao Durr were about to enter the ballroom when Bao Durr stopped.

"What's wrong?" Atton asked.

"It's Traya she is leaving and I sense another disturbance in the force…"

"What dis…" Atton barely got the words out when an explosion rocked the palace.

"For General Vaklu…" They screamed storming the palace, a group of five thousand supporters who were tricked into coming out of hiding. They got as far as the court when the royal guard responded in lethal force. Blaster bolts flew back and forth between the royal guard and the insurrectionists and although they were outnumbered the insurrectionists slowly pushed them back to the palace when the royal guard was joined by Atton Rand and Bao Durr, but as they joined the battle Zoarn's soldiers joined the battle against the Jedi and the royal guard.

"Atton no…" Bao Durr screamed.

Atton released a force wave that threw dozens of people to the ground and that is when the sith assassins revealed themselves drawing on his force energy they mimicked his attack with twice the power.

"Have you forgotten those are sith assassins…" He asked as he helped Atton up.

"I know… I know…"

"Don't worry my lady those insurrectionists won't make this far…" The Captain of the guard said leading Queen Tauhlia and her men to the royal bunker. He stopped to take a message from his arm com, "Yes…"

"What is it?" Tauhlia asked.

"Two Jedi are helping our guard… my lady…"

While the battle went back and forth mainly because Traya was using battle meditation to prolong it; she made her way to the great vault along with Martland and Hykell.

"There is no way we are getting through that…" Martland said standing before the door.

Traya walked up to the security pad and put the code in and immediately the doors opened. Inside were treasures like gold jewels, Freedon Nadd's armor, his war crown that thrummed with dark side energy, scrolls and holocrons twelve of them. Apparently Nadd liked to collect knowledge as well, holocrons that belonged to Marko Ragnos, Darth Loar, Kaorgon the be header a monster and brute of an alien who liked to cut people's heads off; Ynvar Hur'taugh and Tulak Hord. While Traya coveted the sith artifacts Hykell and Martland wanted to take the works of art, the rare jewels and the scrolls of VanDeer.

"My lady may I take some of these and a few paintings…" Hykell asked.

"Go ahead, but hurry…"

Hykell and Martland grabbed two paintings each and lots of jewelry; when they were done Traya sealed the vault having taken all the holocrons, the scrolls, and Nadd's armor. As they made there way through the palace they were stopped by twenty members of the royal guard.

"Hold it right there… put your hands up…"

Martland and Hykell obeyed putting down their bags and raising their hands, but Traya after she had placed her bags down she threw out her hands and unleashed a deadly storm of force lightening engulfing the guards. Hykell and Martland stood in disbelief as the guards hit the floor after being fried.

They continued on without saying a word stealing a look at each other as they followed Traya across the walkway overlooking the main entrance where blaster bolts, vibro-swords, light sabers flew back and forth.

It was Bao Durr who paused to look at Atris, she smiled at him and used the force to punch a hole into the wall and escape; he would have gone after her but his path was blocked by two assassins.

When Traya got outside she lead Martland and Hykell across the garden where she force punched through another wall and ran to the rendezvous, where the shuttles were waiting.

"Are you a sith or something?" Martland asked.

"I will explain all when I return to the ship… for now go… that stuff you took is to be sold and split between everyone…"

Martland was aggravated but he wouldn't dare complain especially after what he saw what Kri did, if that was her name, "Yes my lady…" He replied reluctantly.

"The stuff I took is to be given to T-Seven he will no what to do with it…"

When the ships took off Traya broke out into a run heading south through the vast jungle surrounding the city of Isis using the force to enhance her speed. She had gone twelve miles when she was stopped by Thanus who was standing in front of a shuttle.

She smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I did say we would see each other again… didn't I…"

"You here to collect the bounty then…"

"Not exactly... I wouldn't fare well against a sith lord anyway…" Traya acted like she was shocked, "Oh lets not go there… I knew who you were when I first saw you…"

"Then you are either really foolish are very clever to play such a dangerous game with a lady of the sith…"

He smiled, "You enjoyed it…"

"Yes I did… so now what…"

"I thought it was obvious… I came to join you… both Pordo and I…" The Noghri came out of nowhere as usual.

"And what about them…" Traya had sensed Voga's men on board the ship.

"Them… I told them I'd try to talk some sense into you…" He pulled a remote from his pocket, "…I hope this proves my loyalty to you…" He hit the button and the ship blew up killing all on board.

"I'm heading to the beast rider's territory…"

"Dangerous…"

"Even more so if I take the two of with me…" Traya sensed a disturbance in the force, "Reveal yourselves now!" At her word five sith assassins revealed themselves and bowed to her; Pordo was about to pull a knife on them, "I wouldn't do that Pordo… there are beings in the galaxy more dangerous than you…" She returned her attention to the assassins. "…The five of you now serve for me… you four will return to my ship the Inferno and you…" She said pointing to the lead assassin, "…will come with me… I hope the two of you can keep up with us…"

"Actually… I brought us a ride…" At Thanus' order Pordo pulled out two swoop bikes, "…You and I can ride together and Pordo and the Assassin can take the other…"

Agreeing Traya sat in front of Thanus and he climbed on board behind her grabbing her waist. She smiled to herself as they took off through the jungle heading south towards the hill country.

Things at the royal palace were beginning to settle down of the insurrectionists only three were taken prisoner and they weren't going to live long. Queen Tauhlia and her captain of the guard met with Atton Rand and Bao Durr in the thrown room.

"My apologies your highness, but we were chasing a dangerous woman… Jedi Master Atris has once again turned to the dark side… it is she who is responsible for all this…"

"I'm afraid master Jedi the situation is worse… your Atris broke into the royal vault… valuable pieces of art work and jewelry was stolen… not to mention a few holocrons that were stored in there…"

Bao Durr and Atton looked at each other, "Can you describe these holocrons…"

"There is no need the holocrons were sith…"

"I mean no disrespect my lady, but why were you housing sith holocrons in the vault?" Atton asked.

She sighed a sad breath, "It is a dark past of our history… Freedon Nadd the founder of this royal house was a Sith Lord… his apprentice taught the criminals we banished from our city to control the beasts of the wild… its not something we like to admit…"

"I thought the people of Isis made peace with the beast riders…" Atton said.

"We did… but the beast riders still maintain there territories outside the city walls…"

"Your highness we sense Atris heading south… do the beast riders keep any mementoes of their founder Darth Vear…"

"Yes they do… but you would be wise not to head there…"

"Why…" Atton asked.

"Beyond the south lands lay a mountain… not even the beast riders go there and in those mountains dwell creatures not even the beast riders would dare to control… legend has it that Darth Vear's spirit haunts the area… if any thing is hidden then it is there…"

"My lady can you spare some men to help us travel that way…"

"I'm sorry master Jedi, but not even our people would dare such a trip… they can however take you to the beast rider's camp in the south in safety…"

They bowed to her, "Thank you your majesty we will contact the Jedi Council before we leave…"

Bastilla and the council told them to go but to be cautious and to contact them if they captured Atris, but it was Brianna who pointed out that if Atris stole the artifacts from the vault then she had become a sith lord.

"We need to stop!" Traya yelled.

"Why…"

"We are being watched by the riders… and we must tread softly…"  
>Thanus dismounted while Atris shut down the swoop bike and Pordo and the assassin hid them in the brush. The quartet started walking along a hidden path surrounded by trees, a river could be heard in the distance and the cries of herbivorous animals could be heard being killed by the carnivores.<p>

There was a roar and the sound of paws thumping along the ground as a large ziklag crashed through the trees with a man in a saddle, "Halt… you shall go no further…" He barked as he was joined by two other riders saddled to bomas.

Traya greeted the riders in a manner that seemed strange to Thanus and Pordo but the riders seem to respect it, "Great riders I seek passage to the mountain in the south…"

The two boma riders looked at each other but the leader seemed unshaken by Traya's request, "You reek of the dark side force user… but we shall let you speak with the Chief Rider Sharaul Kain…"

They took Traya and her companions into a valley and as they walked giant draxls flew over head with men and women saddled to them. The mouth of the valley was protected by gun turrets and a stone and wood wall. It was the doors that were actually made of wood the wall itself was pure stone with a wooden scaffold on the parapet. The massive doors were opened and they entered a village that was more of a training camp than a city to live in; children were being taught from the age of three to control the animals with their minds. The animals lived side by side with their respected families as they were lead through the village to the center where a high backed thrown made of bones with a man in a heavy black armor with the emblem of Darth Vear in red on the chest sat. Thanus and Pordo preformed the strange greeting they saw Traya do earlier, behind the man was the largest Draxl any of them had seen since they had been on Onderon.

"A dark sider hasn't treaded our twisted forrest since Queen Tauhlia's war with her fool of a cousin General Vaklu… I am Shaural lord of the beast riders and second cousin to Queen Tauhlia… You may speak…"

"My lord I am Darth Traya lord of the sith… I come asking for passage to the great mountain that lies south of here…"

Shaural's face was masked by a metal and cloth mask, "Interesting none dares to visit that mountain… you probably would survive… but tell me are you responsible for the ruckus in Isis city…"

"I am…" She boldly admitted.

He grunted, "I thought as much… the beast riders and the people of Isis city are allies, but we don't intervene in each others affairs unless war threatens the planet… but at least you have the manners to ask us before treading across our lands… anyway you are being pursued and by Jedi, my cousin has sent some of her guards with them I guess so they could receive safe passage… we riders have no great love for Jedi… I will stall them here but you must hurry…" Shaural looked at the Drexl and Traya could tell something had passed between them, "Sharac here will take you the rest of the way and from there he will fly you anywhere you wish to go if you survive the mountain, but he will return here to me so be sure you know where you wish to go… I assume you know how to imprint images on beast's minds to get them to go where you wish…"

"I do and thank you great one…"

"Not so fast I require payment…"

"What do you wish mighty one…"

"The swoop bikes you rode to the valley on give them to me…"

Traya turned to Thanus, "Give him what he wants…" Reluctantly Thanus gave Shaural the start up codes to the bikes and after twenty minutes Sharac was saddled and off they took to the mountain.

It only took eleven minutes to reach barren waist lands that surrounded the mountain, an ominous black cloud hovered over the mountain a thunderous lightening flashed through the cloud. This part of the country side felt like a doorway to the dark side; it felt like home to her. The Draxl became agitated and wouldn't fly over the waist land it stopped at the edge of the forest.

"I think you three should stay here… I shall return shortly…" Before they could unpack the saddle Traya was already four miles away using the force to enhance her speed.

["Incredible…"] Pordo said in his native tongue.

"Impressive…" Thanus replied.

Traya had gone twelve miles when she was struck by a large claw that came out of nowhere, she hit the ground immediately calling on the force to heal herself knowing the force healing technique very well. Her broken jaw was quickly repaired and her three ribs returned to normal. When she came to her senses she leapt into the air as the claw came at her again. Standing before Traya was a storm beast a creation of Darth Vear's; the storm beast was fifteen feet tall and had fangs as deadly as a vibro-blade and claws as just as sharp.

The creature roared and Traya extended her hands and threw force lightening at the creature, but something strange happened the storm beast seam to be feeding of the energy. "Oh… I forgot…" Traya said uncoiling her light whip. One of her memories from the previous Traya emerged and as the beast charged; with a flick of her hand she removed both the creature's arms and legs. The storm beast fell to the ground whaling and thrashing in pain, cautiously Traya approached the creature and mentally touched it's mind. The beast was old and full of memory it was as old as the riders themselves apparently the creature was the first of its kind the prototype created by Darth Vear himself to protect the mountain and all around it. Traya collected a blood sample then she put the creature out of its misery by removing its head. She continued on her run and encountered another storm beast which she decapitated with her light saber. When Traya finally reached the base of the mountain she found stairs carved into the side of it and she began her climb up the steep stairs. A thousand feet in the air she stood before two pillars of stone with red gyms making it look as if the stone was bleeding.

Traya waited and she didn't have to wait long because the mountain shook and the lightening flashed as a force apparition materialized before her. "Who dares disturb the resting place of Darth Vear." the ghost said.

"I Darth Traya lady of the sith… am on a mission of knowledge…"

"Ah my young sith… knowledge… knowledge is power… Come… come forward and receive that knowledge…"

Traya smiled looking at the two pillars, "Tell me Darth Vear do I look like a fool you can manipulate… I pass through those pillars and my force energy gets sapped…"

The mountain began to quake and the sky rumbled and flashed with lightening as Darth Vear's form glowed redder, "Now feel the true power of the dark side…" The apparition encased Traya in a field of force energy trying to incapacitate her, but Traya smiled and unleashed her full power.

Traya's body began to fade and glow red like a force ghost she over powered Vear's field and grabbed him with her own power. "You were a fool in life Vear and now you are a fool in death…"

"No wait my lady… I beg you… I did not know who you were… please I will give my essence to you… I will share Freedon Nadd's secrets with you…"

"How pathetic…" Traya said in disdain, "…you are in no position to bargain with me for I can take what I wish now be gone…"

"Noooo…" Vear cried in terror because Traya had cast him into the nexus of the force his consciousness and essence lost forever.

"Pathetic…" She grumbled as her body became corporeal she smashed both pillars with a glance.

Traya was running out of time so she force leapt her way up the mountain; in two jumps she reached the top. Traya now stood in the mouth of a huge cave filled with crystals, the same kind that both Jedi and sith used to create their weapons; in the back of the cave was a set of racks containing scrolls on how to create storm beasts, control animals, and the designs to turn a space slug into a living weapon. It was obvious Darth Vear created this place after he had betrayed Freedon Nadd, Vears apprentice didn't know about this place if he had the scrolls would have been taken. Traya didn't find any holocrons; either Vear didn't know how to make one or his apprentice took it after he killed him and entombed the body on Korriban. Traya gathered up all the scrolls and blue prints; then she took as many crystals as her bag could carry, ("When I start gathering students these crystals will come in handy…") she thought to herself. Once she had all she could carry Traya left the cave and jumped off the mountains top landing nimbly on her feet, the drop was from four thousand feet.

["What do we do if she doesn't return…"] Pordo asked back at the camp.

"Fools…" The Assassin said before Thanus could speak, "…Our mistress is a sith lord and a very powerful one… to doubt her power is folly…" Both Thanus and Pordo were shocked because the sith assassin hadn't said a word since he joined them. "Behold she comes…" the assassin said pointing towards the plain.

Pordo spotted her first with his keen vision, Thanus had to use his micro-binoculars to see a shadowy figure running across the plains, the readout on the binoculars clocked Traya running at a speed of two hundred and ten miles per hour. When Traya was a mile from them she jumped the rest of the distance and landed right in front of Thanus. "Break camp it's time to go the Jedi will be here shortly…"

"And how are we going to reach the Inferno when she is in low stationary orbit of Duxun?" Thanus asked packing the Drexl's saddle.

Traya pointed at the moon of Duxun which was so close it could be seen with the naked eye at anytime during the day, "Duxun is so close to Onderon that an atmospheric bubble lies in between the two we won't even need space suits…"

Thanus didn't debate with her he just finished the task of loading the saddle which took them eleven minutes. When they were done they all climbed into the saddle and off the draxl took climbing higher and higher until they crossed over into the vacuum of space; as Traya told Thanus a pocket of atmosphere existed between the two spheres. The Inferno sat right in there flight path so Traya had the draxl circle the Inferno so that the crew would see them; then she had the creature land on the hall of the ship.

"Greetings mistress welcome back…" T-Seven said with eight crew members who carried their supplies on board. "T-Seven we will be leaving immediately… set course for Korriban…" when she entered the ship Traya immediately picked up on the nervousness of the crew obviously the word had spread that she could use the force.

"My lady…" Hykell said with a bow.

"T-Seven has our destination… as soon as we are in hyperspace I want the crew to meet me on the observation deck…" Without waiting for a response Traya made her way to the captain's deck where she had a run of the deck.

Traya took the blood sample of the storm beast and placed it in the medical cooler for later, then she made a quick scan through the scrolls she had brought with her, as Traya was going through the fifth scroll she could feel the Inferno going to hyperspace; she filed the scrolls away then she made her way to the observation deck. Her crew had grown by seven not including the new droids she bought on Nar Shadda. Traya walked the line and introduced the crew to Thanus, Pordo, and the assassins.

"Some of you may have already figured this out… I am a force user and not just any force user… I am a sith lord…" She could sense the fear from some of them through the force and the expressions on their faces, there were those who showed no fear like the Mandalorian Mandar Fett and Hykell Scarface, "…I am Darth Traya… There must always be a Darth Traya. I am on a journey of knowledge and I will bring that knowledge together in one place in order to build a place where the sith will always exist… If you wish to leave the escape pods have been upgraded with hyperspace boosters for micro-jumps…" One man had the courage to speak up, "Why not join the sith remnant…"  
>"Because I will deal with the Jedi in my own way... if there are no further questions you are dismissed…"<p>

"Wait…" Thanus said stepping forward and grabbing Traya by the arm; the crew noticed the bold move and the assassins seemed ready to kill Thanus if Traya gave the word, she didn't. She looked at Thanus and snuck a glance at her followers who were staring at the exchange and there was only one way she could respond; with a glance Traya force pushed Thanus and sent him flying across the room, he slid eight feet when he hit the floor and then hit the wall with a light thud.

She turned her attention to Hykell, "Take care of that…" She said and with T-Seven and the sith assassins in tow she left.

"You have a large pair don't you…" Hykell said standing over Thanus, "…after you compose yourself report to me on the bridge… I know just what to do with you…"

Thanus' pride was hurt but he composed himself in the true fashion of a Chiss and didn't complain when Hykell had him do inventory in the cargo hold. As time passed Thanus found himself alone, because even Pordo had distanced himself from him; it felt like his home world all over again. At meal time Thanus ate alone sitting in a corner poking at his food, he was considering returning to his home world and facing whatever consequences would befall him when T-Seven walked across the mess hall and stood before him.

"Yes…"

"Come with me…"

Twenty-four hours had passed since he was embarrassed on the observation deck and now Thanus was being lead to the Captain's deck where no one, but the sith assassins and T-Seven was allowed. The droid lead Thanus through the remodeled part of the ship to a gold plated door with all sorts of red symbols he had never seen before. Two assassins stood at the door but they stepped aside for them; the doors opened to a lush suite with red and blue curtains, an expensive Onderonian chandelier, and several statues of sith lords. A large tub sat in the center of the room for bathing and a security screens showed what was going on in just about every part of the ship. There was another door, a heavy black door with all kinds of carvings on it that separated the living area from whatever Traya had stored in there.

It was these doors that opened and out came Traya wearing her Sith robes with the hood pulled down, "Thank you T-Seven that will be all…"

"As you say mistress…"

Thanus could only catch a peek of what was in the next room and all he saw was a large black sphere in the center, "So what do you want…"

She removed the robe and underneath was a tight fitting black suit, "Don't be cross… it ill becomes you…"

He remained where he was, "Is that an order…"

"Advice from your superior…" She looked at him because she could sense his thoughts although his face remained emotionless, "…are you offended? I hope not you did say you had come to join me…"

"Yes I did, but I didn't expect to be treated like some kath hound pup who peed on your favorite foot wear…"

She laughed, "I find your offense amusing considering that if the roles were reversed you'd have done the same or similar since you can't use the force…"

"Fine, but tell me are all sith women as heartless as you…"

Her eyes began to glow a deep yellow, "Be careful…"

"I'm not looking for a handout, but…"

"But what…" She yelled interrupting him, "…I can't show favoritism even to the likes of you…"

"I wasn't talking about position… I wanted…"

"To show your brass to the others… Men are all the same… you wanted to brag to the crew that you and I are lovers and lord it over them…"

He couldn't respond because she was partially right and she had responded to his forwardness appropriately and there was only one way he could respond, "You are right… I will work my way up the ranks of this ship and you will promote me in time…"

She went to the table that was set with dishes and food, "Would you care f0r tusbarr…"

"No thank you I will eat with the crew… I have a lot of catching up to do…"

"You may leave then…"

Thanus was about to leave when he stopped, "By the way you are under using the Mandalorian's abilities as a grunt… he should be in command… and you are heading to Korriban the Jedi might figure that out and follow you there and you should get some more women aboard this ship… or the men may go crazy traveling such long distances without companionship…"

"The Mandalorian's destiny is still before him his bloodline will run strong in the galaxy for ages to come… his time with me is drawing to a close… as for the Jedi I think you are wrong, because they have plundered all the tombs they know of and the academy on Korriban won't have students again for ages to come and as for women talk with Hykell about that…"

She watched him leave without saying another word disappointed because she wanted to spend the night with him. For the next three days the Inferno was in hyperspace and came out of light speed on the twelfth hour of the forth day. Korriban the dark side still ran strong on the planet and was under quarantine by the Jedi council.

"Standard orbit…" Traya ordered on the bridge sitting on her thrown.

"Aye my lady…" Hykell replied, "Helm standard orbit…" The ship was piloted by a human named Larit and navigated by an droid.

"I'm shuttling down to the valley alone… maintain orbit… if any Republic ship enters the system head for the rondevous…"

Traya was about to leave the bridge when she was stopped by Hykell, "My lady may I take a small contingent down to the Dresdae outpost… Czerka may have left something of value…"

"Go and take thirty people with you… make sure you are heavily armed… if you find any crates marked valley of the dark lords hand them over to T-Seven… they belong to me… I will be here for at least one day twenty-four hours so make it quick…"

"Yes mam… Fett, Pordo, and Siora come with me…"

And that was all Traya heard of his orders as she left the bridge and made her way to the hanger where her personal ship the black scorpion was docked. After a quick preflight check list Traya flew the ship down to the valley of the dark lords. She landed her ship in the mouth of the valley and immediately left the ship; as soon as Traya set her feet down on the planet's surface the wind howled and the voices of the ancient sith cried out to her to avenge them, but she ignored them Darth Traya had her own plans and she was looking for the two undiscovered tombs she learned about in her studies and had seen in her visions. Her first stop was at the tomb of Naga Sadow whose tomb was right next to the tomb of Darth Vear, but the tomb was buried under a rock slide, so Traya had to enter the tomb of Naga Sadow and force punch through to the adjacent hallway. Stretching out with her mind Traya kinetically activated all the traps in the tomb then she continued forward. The tomb wasn't as immaculate as the other tombs in the Valley, but Traya searched the anti-chambers anyway finding nothing. Finally she entered the main chamber where an intricate sarcophagus lies; she opened it and found only an old light saber that still worked. Traya returned the light saber to the sarcophagus and closed it disappointed, but something caught her attention. She walked around to the back of the sarcophagus where a holo-projector was attached to the wall; when Traya activated it a hologram of Darth Vear appeared.  
>"Here lies Darth Vear former apprentice of Freedon Nadd out of respect Vear's apprentice…" ("Finally…") She thought to herself believing she'd learn the identity of Vear's apprentice who was far more powerful than he was, "…built this tomb to commemorate Lord Vear…" The message ended and the hologram vanished. Traya searched the tomb for any other secret compartments or caches, but she found nothing.<p>

Disappointed she left the tomb and headed to the cave in a narrow passage that led to the ruins of the old sith academy, Traya entered the cave using a lamp to light the way, she paused to take a hydro-tablet and as soon as the tablet touched her tongue it burst into a mouthful of water. Refreshed she stretched out with her mind and located Hykell and his men, they were loading some equipment and crates they had found aboard the shuttle. Traya broke the contact and continued on through the cave the exile's presence could still be felt as she walked, suddenly Traya was surrounded by a pack of Tu'kata Traya raised her hands and filled the cave with lightening scorching the rocks as she killed the dog like creatures. When she was done the smell of burnt flesh filled the cave she ignored the smell and continued on; after a while she came upon the gorge and a rock bridge that led to the tomb of Ludo Kresh, but she wasn't interested in his tomb there was another tomb inside the cave the tomb of Darth Koar. In her studies Traya found evidence of a sith lord by the name of Darth Koar who was so powerful that he had died at the age of one thousand two hundred and eleven years old. He had trained over one hundred and fifteen apprentices and they had all died at his hand. It was said that twice that many Jedi died at his hand and he ruled over two hundred star systems from the Noad system, but the inhabitants of the system tried to over throw the tyrant and with a wave of his hand every living thing in the Noad system was killed. Traya came upon a large mound of dirt and spent the next three hours using the force to dig up the entrance which was horizontal instead of being vertical.

"At last…" She beamed.

Traya walked down the steps tripping the traps with her mind and that took an hour because there were so many. Traya walked on through a hallway that seem to go on forever and finally she came to a three way fork; she decided to go left down a hall and opened the door where she found a room filled with coffins.

As she passed the first coffin a hologram appeared above the coffin; it was a hologram of a Twi'lek apprentice. "Here lies Fartam Boer… I was apprenticed to Lord Koar for twelve years before I was killed by his hand…" The image vanished.

"Here lies… Kina Sailo…" The hologram of a human female appeared when Traya passed the second coffin. "…I was apprenticed to Lord Koar for twenty years before I died at his hand…" Traya decided to open the coffin and inside was a shrouded female body in armor and a light whip at its side. She closed the coffin and checked three more coffins that responded the same way to her presence.

Traya left the crypt and walked across to the other side and found another crypt, but this one had a very decorative sarcophagus in it and only one and like the others a hologram shimmered above it when she neared it. The hologram was of Darth Koar himself. "Here lies Darth Nero my favorite and most gifted apprentice…" The hologram went on to explain that after ten years under his tutelage Nero turned against him. Nero built him an army that destroyed Koar's empire and laid waist to much of the Republic. The armys of Koar and Nero met on the distant world of Yalara both armies fought for two weeks without stopping until there was only Koar, Nero, and Nero's two apprentices left. Three against one, but Koar held his own wielding two light sabers and in the end he killed all three. "…I give my apprentice this place of honor because of his accomplishments and the wound he gave me in our duel, but I am still master…"

Traya left the tomb and as she continued up the main hallway she found that every twenty feet or so the hall forked left and right and had a crypt with about ten coffins to each.

Traya finally came to the end of the hallway that opened up to a large foyer with two sith statues standing to the side of fifty foot doors. Traya could sense danger, but where that danger would come from she couldn't tell, as she walked towards the door she heard a squeaking sound that came from one of the statues. When she took another step the sound happened again, but this time it came from the statue on the left. The eyes of both statues glowed red and some dust and debris fell from the statue on the left as it took a step cracking the floor.

"Well that's new…" Traya said.

The statue took its sword and swung it at Traya but she raised a claw like hand and grabbed the stone sword with the force stopping it in mid air. That is when the first statue started walking towards her; she released the blade of the second statue and unleashed force lightening at both of them, but her attack bounced of their bodies scorching the walls and ceiling.

"Great…"

She unhooked her light saber and force threw it at the first statue the blade just grazed the statue's leg but didn't go all the way through it clanged to the floor and switched off. In desperation Traya force pushed both statues to the floor to slow them down.

"Hmm…" She started searching the building in the force and that is when she realized there was an underground river of lava flowing beneath the floor. As the statues regained their footing and stood up Traya called her light saber to her hand and backed up to the entrance to the foyer. When the statues were on the floor Traya smashed the floor up with blast after blast of force wave. The statues went crashing into the lava as Traya leapt to the stairs that lead to the doors; she used the force to open the doors and entered.

Inside the next chamber was a statue standing over a sarcophagus with its arms folded. There were lights embedded into the walls and ceiling shining their lights on the sarcophagus. The walls were also lined with gyms of all kinds and sizes and a rack with one holocron and a bunch of scrolls on it. Traya didn't sense anything about the statue, but she did feel as if someone was watching her and that is when a force apparition appeared to her; an apparition of Darth Koar.

"Who are you…" The apparition asked.

"I am Darth Traya… there must always be a Darth Traya…"

Koar looked around the room as if he wasn't familiar with it, "Has the empire been destroyed?"  
>"Your empire fell at the hands of your apprentice Darth Nero…" She replied.<br>"Nero…" He paused to think about her response; then he returned his attention to Traya. "…Forgive me my lady. I have lingered here for so long that I am living in the future, the past, and the present…"

"Future… what empire do you speak of…"

He looked at her trying decide if she was worthy of an answer, "The one built by Darth Plaguess' apprentice… I forget his name…"

Traya shrugged, "I know nothing of any Darth Plaguess… not in legend or otherwise…"

"Of course not… he has yet to exist…" He looked at his surroundings again, "How did you find this place? When I built it I made sure it was well hidden and guarded…"

"In my studies I came across bits of information about a legendary sith lord who lived for over a thousand years and in my visions I saw this place here on Korriban and here I am…" She said arrogantly.

"Here you are… This place was lined with a metal that masks the force that is why no one has ever found it, but you…"

"But me…" Traya repeated.

"The sith are always looking for the quick path to power… blind fools all of them…"

Traya smiled because Koar was testing her and trying to bait her into a fight by making her angry, "Yes sometimes the sith can be blind fools following their passions, but I am on a quest of knowledge… the ultimate knowledge."

Koar turned his head to the side, "Hmm… you are like no other sith I have seen before and I have watched a many walk the surface of Korriban since the last days of Tulak Hord… none of them worthy, but perhaps you are…" The ghost apparition started walking towards Traya, but she held her ground and as the sith ghost approached her; Koar became corporeal; a flesh and blood hand reached out to her and lead her around the statue. "Behold all my knowledge I acquired over my life time, it is yours…"

"And why would you give this to me? The sith don't easily share knowledge"

He raised an eyebrow, "And that is why the sith will always lose…" She was about to respond, but he stopped her, "…Now is not the time to debate I think you have the power if you search through my records you'll find the knowledge you seek, but power has a price my lady…"

("I knew it…") Traya thought to herself.

"Yes you knew…" He replied hearing her thoughts, "My price is that you must never ever reveal this place to anyone… seal it and never return to this tomb…"

Traya smiled, "I will pay your price…" Darth Koar's body began to fade and become ghost like, "One more thing…" Traya cried, but by now Koar had vanished.

"Yes…" His voice echoed.

"What can you tell me of the future…"

"Nothing… the future will unfold as it should…" He said and then he was gone.

Traya couldn't sense Koar anymore but his power still lingered in the air, "Incredible she said…" walking over to the rack.

The first thing Traya put her hand on was the holocron which contained galaxy maps of places Traya had never heard of, hyperspace lanes into the unknown regions and Koars holocron had four new force techniques. The first involved using the force to alter the weather of a planet, the second was a technique that allowed the user to use the force like a blade to cut through anything even cortosis, the second was a technique that allowed the user to teleport from one place to another; a truly powerful force user could use the technique to travel form planet to planet, the last force technique allowed the user to summon force energy into a destructive eye beam. She switched off the holocron and scanned through a few scrolls some were designs for weapons and ships others were more star maps and another was Darth Koar's personal journal. Traya filled her bag with all the stuff from the rack and left the tomb; as she had promised Traya sealed the tomb and walked through the maze of tunnels in the cave taking the same path she took to reach the tomb. When Traya reached the carcasses of the dead Ta'kata something caught her attention, a baby Ta'kata sniffing the carcass of it's mother. The pup snarled as she approached him bearing his teeth and arching its back, but Traya grabbed the pup by the neck and held it the air.

"You will come with me…" She declared as the creature whimpered.

When Traya exited the cave she searched the academy with her mind and found nothing or no one. The academy held no interest for her so she returned to her shuttle with her treasures and her new pet.

"T-Seven come in…" She ordered through the com.

"I'm here mistress…" He replied in his mechanical voice.

"Has Hykell and his men returned to the Inferno?"

"They are docking now mistress…"

"Good I am powering up my shuttle I am coming up… set course for the Noad system I want to leave as soon as I dock…"

"Yes mistress…"

Traya pulled back on the yoke and the ship rose up in the air she hit the thrusters and off she took heading back to the Inferno. When she landed T-Seven and the assassins were waiting to greet her.

"Did Hykell bring anything on board marked Valley of the Dark lords…"

"No mistress…"

"Here…" She said handing the droid the little pup, "Make sure he is fed twice a day…"

"Yes mam… His name…"

Traya stopped and looked at the droid, "Hmm… call him Gor." She continued to the turbo lift as the Inferno made the jump to light speed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5. The Power of Knowledge

Traya was in her private archive going over Darth Koar's holocron she had decided that the first thing she'd learn to do was the Force transport technique which she mastered in a matter of hours. The next thing she learned was the force cut technique; then Traya began reading Koar's journals. Koar started learning the force at the age of three from the Jedi, but he began to question the teachings of the Jedi and he left the order at the age of fifteen on a quest of knowledge. On his journey he joined the sith in the great hyperspace war, but when the sith started fighting among themselves he left and wondered the galaxy for the next five years. He was already known to the sith as Darth Koar and he began to secretly build an empire that stretched from the deep core all the way to the outer rim. Koar ruled that empire from the shadows and no one knew of its existence because Koar had designed it that way. Out of arrogance his fromer sith masters tried to make him go to war with the republic but he destroyed them with his force cut technique which he had just invented. The journals didn't say how but Koar had become so powerful that he rarely used a light saber and when the Jedi confronted him he destroyed them with his eyes. When Koar reached the age of fifty he had developed a technique not mentioned in his holocron a technique that regenerated his body and kept him young and fit despite being human and Koar didn't choose an apprentice until he had turned a hundred. His first apprentice was a human female who studied under him for the next twenty years, but something in her training frustrated Koar and he goaded her into changeling him for his title. The fool of a woman and that is how he referred to her in his journals took the bait and died in a duel that lasted three seconds. It would be another thirty years before he took on a second apprentice and the same thing happened Koar became frustrated with his apprentices because they failed to grasped the true meaning of his teachings in fact this happened again and again sometimes Koar would goad the fool of an apprentice or the apprentice would become arrogant enough to think he or she was strong enough to take Koar down. This kept happening until a young man by the name of Nare Jyn came along. Nare was the seventy-third apprentice to learn under Koar and by now Darth Koar was over four hundred years old. Nare became Darth Nero and grabbed every lesson and mastered it and answered every question posed to him, Koar was so pleased that he had decided to teach him the force eye beam technique and force teleport, but as with all sith he became frustrated with Koar, he wanted to bring down the Jedi and claim a title for himself so Nero ran away, but unknown to him Koar had decided to share the ultimate knowledge with him, but he had left. Nero traveled the galaxy and recruited his own apprentices and built an army equal to that of his master's. The empire Koar ruled was a secret one an empire that crossed into the territory of the Republic. Through secret bribes and the diligence of his spies Nero found out which planets were secretly loyal to Koar and a member to the Republic; then he exposed them to the senate. This weakened Koar's empire by thirty percent; then with his massive fleet which actually was made up of sixty percent of the remnants of the sith army from the great hyperspace war; he openly waged war with Darth Koar who was a firm believer in ruling from the shadows.

Darth Koar had no choice but to fight back summoning his army to his thrown world in the Noad system, but the inhabitants of the system had been turned against Koar by Nero's spies who had been promised great power and wealth by Nero. In his rage Koar killed every living thing in the system with a thought and fought a bloody war on two fronts because now the Jedi and the Republic was aware of his existence. The war with the Republic lasted only three months because Koar used his knowledge wealth and influence to trick the senate into withdrawing from what was clearly a sith civil war. It worked, but only partially because the Jedi said that whoever won the Republic would lose; so without the Republic's support the Jedi council of that era raised a private army that fought both Koar and Nero. Koar would trick Nero's forces into conflicts where the Jedi would have to fight him which weakened both sides, while Koar kept his people fresh for the next fight. Eventually the Jedi had to withdraw, because Koar had created a crime wave throughout the Republic a wave of crime that could only be dealt with by the Jedi. With the Jedi out of the conflict Koar was able to draw Nero into parts of the galaxy that was unmapped and it was in those unmapped parts of the galaxy Koar and Nero's war ended.

Their armies met on a planet called Yalara; while their fleets shot it out in orbit no quarter was given and none was asked. In the end Darth Nero stood on a hill with his apprentices both of whom were almost as powerful as Nero. Darth Koar stood on an opposite hill the two taunted each other, but it was Koar who was the more disciplined and was able to anger Nero into making the first move. Nero and his apprentices put up a fight that could only be described as legendary, Nero's male apprentice wielded a double edged light saber while the woman wielded a light whip and as for Nero himself he wielded dual light sabers like his master, but unlike his master both his blades were red whereas Koar wielded a blue blade and a green blade. Within the span of three hours Koar managed to kill the two apprentices by force throwing his sabers into their chest and at the same time creating a force illusion so powerful it held off Nero long enough to even the odds. Finally apprentice faced Master and Koar unleashed the true might of his power and destroyed Nero by overloading his body with so much force energy that he died unable to comprehend or control that much power, but before that happened Nero cut off Koar's head with his eye beam and apparently Koar had reattached his head to his body with the force and lived.

("Incredible…") Traya thought to herself.

She continued to read that when Nero died Koar didn't allow his body to become one with the force instead he enshrouded the body with rags and carried it on his shoulder. Koar turned his attention skyward where the two fleets were still battling; he raised his hand and closed it making a fist destroying both fleets with the force. Weary and tired Koar used the force to teleport to another secret fortress where he had stored all his past dead apprentices. Koar had to return his attention to the Republic and the Jedi so he payed his spies in the senate to erase all knowledge of that war from the public archives. Those star systems that were loyal to Koar he released planets like the Noghri's home world of Honoghr and the Cordu Ji's world of Montu Codru.

To insure the Jedi wouldn't start another war with him, Koar traveled to Coruscant in disguise and boldly entered the Jedi Temple as a Jedi Master named Raynin Lodess; when he gained access to the archives he erased all knowledge of that war, but before he left the world wide metropolis Koar tried to reveal his teachings to the Jedi but they refused him calling him a heretic he left but only after kidnapping a padawan to become his apprentice, but like all the apprentices before Nero he failed and had to die. Koar had to ensure his secrecy so he arranged the deaths of all the Jedi who fought against him and Nero. When Koar reached the age of One thousand he decided to build his tomb and it was during this time that Exar Kune was waging his war with the Jedi and the Republic. When Koar arrived on Korriban which is where he had decided to build his tomb but underground and next to Luddo Kressh's he unleashed a thought bomb and killed all the sith on Korriban. When the people he hired had finished construction of his tomb he had all his dead apprentices transported to the tomb so he could be buried with them.

He killed the construction workers and sealed himself inside the tomb, Traya gasped at the next entry because Koar had lingered another two hundred years before he became one with the force and it wasn't because he died. Koar had simply fused himself into the force and became one, but not once in the journal did Koar reveal the ultimate knowledge. In frustration Traya searched for hours through Koar's notes and journals for the ultimate knowledge, but she didn't find it. Then she looked for hours through the holocron and still nothing; so she meditated on everything she had learned and she felt the answer was there but she was missing a critical piece to the puzzle. Traya broke meditation and bathed then she sat down to a delightful meal served by two droids with Gor chewing on a bone under the table. When she was done Traya returned to her studies as the Inferno came out of hyperspace in the Noad system.

Traya spent the next two days trying figure out Darth Koar's secrets, she read the journal again and went through the holocron twice more, but it still was out of reach the key to the puzzle that would gain her ultimate knowledge. ("What am I missing…") She thought to herself, ("There was the Jedi and the sith and…") A series of thoughts formed in Traya's head as she compared the teachings of both and bit by bit Traya solved Darth Koar's riddle. The Jedi and the sith were two sides of the same coin the coin was whole but still two sides and the common thread was the force or the coin itself. And what was it about the force that drove the Jedi to teach what they believed or the sith to teach what they believed it was all the force used in different manners. ("The force is the force… Does it matter how it is used…")

When Traya came to that conclusion she felt a powerful presence touch her mind. ("Now my young sith do you truly understand the nature of the force… continue this path and there may yet always be a Darth Traya…")

The voice belonged to Darth Koar, "Wait tell me more…" She pleaded.

"You have found the key now unlock the door and see the force as it should be…"

Traya tried to call him with the force but he didn't respond, Traya returned to her mode of thinking, ("The force… the force…") Then she almost laughed. The force flowed through all things, but the sith viewed it as weapon to fulfill their desires, the Jedi viewed it as a path to serve others; both views were incomplete because passion ruled a sith and the only time he or she showed compassion was when dealing with a new apprentice not to mention the fact that most sith were fallen Jedi. As for the Jedi they experienced anger, love, and hate, but they suppressed it and denied those base emotions which could be controlled and harnessed. Now that she thought about it the only time Darth Koar killed Jedi was in self defense; and he ruled his empire with a gentle hand in fact he had released those who had remained loyal to him. He certainly had the power to destroy the Republic and the Jedi, but he had satisfied himself with a secret empire. The only reason he killed the people of the Noad system was because they had turned on him. She deduced that Koar had kept his sith name because the Jedi wouldn't take him back, even when he tried to reveal to the Jedi his teachings they rejected him. There was only the force and those who looked at it as dark and light were fools, the ultimate knowledge was the unified force or the force without the mediocre limitations of the sith and the Jedi. Traya had found what she was looking for.

She stood up from her studies, "There is only the force…" She said heading to her meditation sphere and opened herself up to the force. Traya was surrounded by a blinding light of the force, in this state she felt as if she could shake the galaxy itself it was inspiring and terrifying all at once. She saw Darth Koar staring at her in approval as he became one with the force swallowed into the nexus of the force. She saw Bastilla using her meditation to search for Revan; she saw that fool Darth Vear still practicing his force well technique; Traya beheld the galaxy and wondered, but it was time to pull away. She returned to herself and realized she had achieved her goal and had become more powerful than when she had joined with her predecessor.

Traya left the sphere, "It is time I put the next part of my plan into motion…" She said grabbing up Gor and leaving the Captain's deck.

The crew had been entertaining themselves with holo-dramas or the holo-news which was filled with reports of the Corellians withdrawing from the Republic or the arrest and trial of Senator Olang and Judge Jiarr Haff on slave trade charges. Others amused themselves with card games of sabacc or pazaak, what else was there to do. A serious relationship had developed between Hykell and Siora. After the first day in the Noad system Hykell had several droids take mineral samples of the nearby asteroids and within minutes the droids found gold deposits.

"Look you sack of wires I was just trying to find a way to keep the money coming in…" Hykell said T-Seven who took a fancy to countering Hykell's orders.

["I understand that…"] The droid said, ["But why don't you ask me before you appropriate the ship droids for things like that…"]  
>Hykell grunted, "Since when do humans start taking orders from droids…"<p>

"Since I put him in charge…" Traya said entering the bridge carrying the Ta'kata pup. Hykell bowed to her as she took a seat on her thrown, "Recall those droids and then set course for the corporate sector… Hykell sound general quarters have all crew members report to their stations…"

The Inferno started to come to life as the crew members hurried to their stations and prepared the ship for light speed and after twenty-three minutes the Inferno made it's jump.

The Corporate sector the center of all trade and business in the galaxy; the corporate world was a planetary metropolis like Coruscant. Every stellar company in the galaxy had an office on the planet. When the Inferno came out of hyper space Traya had the ship stationed near the waist depot because it was run by droids and with all that metal and droid transmissions it made a perfect hiding spot. Traya had Hykell and four others gather their stolen booty from Onderon so it could be sold and split among the crew, then she had Thanus who had to hide his blue skin with makeup and Siorra go to the Incom corporate offices to buy probe droids, a hauler, some engineering droids, droid spare parts, and more supplies like food and extra fusion fuel. Everything they bought was loaded onto the hauler and towed to the Inferno, "Did you get everything?" Traya asked standing at the bottom of the ramp to the shuttle.

"Yes we got everything…" Thanus replied looking around, "What about Hykell… Hasn't he returned…"

"No and I've lingered here long enough..."

The Inferno had to wait because for all the legitimate business that happened on the corporate world the same amount of illegal business went on; front companies for the Hutts and the Black Heth or front companies for the smugglers guild. These illegitimate fronts weren't easy to find discreet questions had to be asked especially when the Hutts had a bounty out on the crew of the Inferno.

Traya was on her thrown mentally planning her next move when Hykell's shuttle returned to the Inferno, "About time…" Traya said when T-Seven told her that Hykell and his men were back. "As soon as he's docked set course nine seven eight five three dash four point six…"

The navigator turned in his chair, "Um begging your pardon my lady but nothing appears on the astrological maps…"

"Really…" She handed T-Seven a disk that he handed to the navigator, "Up date your charts with that…"

He slid the disk into the computer, "The Hoth system my lady…"

"Yes…"

The pilot looked at the navigator in concern as he plotted a course through hyperspace and off they took. The Inferno came out of Hyperspace eight days later during which time Traya had mastered all of Koar's techniques except for altering the weather on a planet. The intricate details involved and attuning ones self to a planet was beyond her abilities. As soon as the Inferno came out of hyper space Traya had the engineering droids build a mother brain droid which took two weeks to construct and in order for the crew not to get restless Traya allowed them to make runs to the nearby system of Bespin for a furlong. When the brain droid was complete she had the engineer droids hide the brain droid on the largest asteroid in the Hoth system. When Traya released the probes they would search the galaxy and map star systems never seen before and document aliens etc and send that information to the brain droid who would then relay that information to her.

"Set course for Bespin…" Traya ordered, after the probes had been launched and the droid brain complete.

Bespin was an atmospheric world that had gone unnoticed by the galaxy at large. The humans of this world were actually refugees who happened upon the planet and built two massive floating cities Cloud City and Tabanopolis. The citizens of the planet enjoyed their isolation from the rest of the galaxy and used their profits from the tabanna gas they sold to live in ease. The crew of the Inferno had been in the system for the past two weeks, because there was no way the Jedi could find Traya here and Traya had bought another long range ship and slaved the drive to the Inferno so Traya bought more droids and put a twenty man crew aboard the ship; she named it the Atris.

"Listen up…" Traya said walking before her followers assembled on the observation deck, "…we are heading into the unknown regions; so if any one wants to leave now is the time…"

That is when Hykell stepped forward, "We are yours to command my lady there are no deserters here…"

Traya walked back and forth before them with an approving smile, "Good the next part of my plan involves building a place where the sith will always exist…" She stopped pacing, "…As of now I am increasing your pay to three thousand credits a week…" a thunderous cheer went up, but Traya calmed them by raising her hand, "Get to your stations we are leaving immediately…"

With the Atris slaved to the Inferno and stocked with food supplies, survey equipment, weapons, and fuel both ships went to hyperspace heading towards the unknown regions.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. The Arquillions

When the Mandalorian Empire fell to the Revan and the Republic the enslaved race known as the Arquillions rose up against their masters and fled into the far reaches of the unknown regions. They found an uninhabited star system with thirteen worlds floating around a large star they took the fourth planet as their home world. The Arquillions were human a force sensitive race of humans and although they believed in the force they believed that no one person should wield it. The Arquillion race was divided into thirteen clans and each clan was ruled by a clan lord. The clans had divided the land into territories and the territories were awarded by lottery.

Although the Arquillions were free they learned the art of war from the Mandalorians and the entire race had sworn that they would never be slaves again. It was up to the clan lords to decide what was to become of the entire race, some wanted to form a council of clan lords and share planetary administration equally, then there were those who wanted to become a monarchy ruled by a chosen royal family, and there were those who wanted to use the force and create an army of force users a dangerous suggestion to make that is why those people kept their opinions hidden.

"How long are we going to over the same old thing…" Kaban Sathar said. He was Clan Lord over the Sathar clan. He was a strong man both in mind and body highly respected by most of the other clan lords. The clan lords had gathered on a small mount they had deemed council rock. "If we share power equally then we can accomplish far greater things than one man or family raising himself over the rest of us… creating a monarchy is the path of a fool…"

"It is you who are the fool…" Clan Lord Jothan Kom of the Clan Kom spoke jumping up from his seat. Jothan and Kaban had always been rivals both in public and private, "…A monarchy will greatly benefit our race and secure our future… unlike those savages the Mandalorians…"

"Careful who you call savage Clan Lord Kom, my wife is a Mandalorian and aren't we becoming Mandalorians ourselves… why must we become a military state… have we learned nothing…" These words were spoken by Clan Lord Zurran Byth of the clan Byth.

"I meant no offence… and I cry your pardon…"

"We need to be strong and strength comes from war…" Jothan's ally, friend, and lover Paleah Tushall one of three women serving their clan as Clan Mother which was interchangeable with Clan Lord.

Jothan sent her a smile and a secret wink for the two of them were strong believers in using the force for war, "Lady Paleah… your voice is a gentle rain on a scorched land…"

"Or your bed…" Someone whispered.

The clan lords gathered all laughed, "Let's come to order…" Udann Vaneer of the Vaneer clan said. Udann was a supporter of Kaban's and a close friend. "We don't want to get off the topic…"

"I say we put it too a vote…" Clan Lord Niella Roth said, "…I say we vote and put an end to this endless debate once and for all." Niella wasn't known for her patience or subtlety.

"We haven't come to a consensus Niella we can't vote on something as monumental as what our government should be…" The Lord of the Dersan clan said.

A large man more obese than any Arquillion weighing at three hundred pounds stood and stretched with a loud yawn, "The day has been long and once again we haven't come to a consensus… may I suggest we adjourn and on the morrow…" Of the thirteen clan lords nine nodded in agreement.  
>"We shall reconvene on the tomorrow for oh seven hundred and Lord Gafran will be responsible for our morning meals… When we do reconvene we'll all bring an update on our projects…" Kaban said.<p>

They all stood and greeted each other with an open hand salute across the chest. The clan meet broke out into conversation and commotion as Gafran who was the obese man noisily made his way with his advisors to his transport.

"Count on Gafran to make a ruckus when exiting the clan meet…" Kaban said to Udann who stood a foot shorter than Kaban.

"Maybe for the next clan meet you and I can make a proposal for Gafran to go on a supplemental diet or have some surgery…" The two clan lords laughed. "Will you and your wife come to my estate for dinner this evening…"

"I would my friend if I didn't have a meeting with the Head Priest…"

"Your not planning to have Jothan investigated again my friend…"

Kaban smiled, "No… I just want a policy in place if he does somehow become our new King…"

"Be careful my friend we don't want a clan war…"

"Of course not…"

Kaban left the council meet and headed to his personal transport; then he ordered his pilot to head for the great archives. The archives were overseen by the force priests, the purpose of the force priests was two fold the first was to study every aspect of the force in all it's forms the second was to monitor the entire race to ensure no one was using the force. The priests trained warriors called Enforcers; the Enforcer's Guild was trained to use the force to enhance their speed, strength, mental and physical senses. They used special weapons called force staffs. The staffs were made of a metal that amplified the force so the user could deflect blaster bolts and shatter vibro-swords and such. The enforcers were founded a thousands years ago when an Arquillion wielded the dark side of the force. It is forbidden to the Arquillions to mention his name, but he was a tyrant of a man and the force priests with their enforcers overthrew him. That is why it was forbidden to use the force and to do so was punishable by death; it was also the reason the Mandalorians were able to conquer the Arquillions.

Kaban's transport flew low to the ground heading to the mountain fortress; the main entrance was at the base of the mountain where two enforcers stood guard with there force staffs in hand. When Kaban got out of the transport the doors opened and the Head Priest Morban walked out to meet him.

Kaban smiled, "You must have felt me coming my old friend…"

Kaban tried to greet him in the proper manner but Morban grabbed him and gave him a big hug, "Your presence is hard to miss my friend…"

They entered into the mountain which was well lit and very busy, they took the turbo-lift to the lower fortress level and then they made their way to his private enclosure.

"Now what can I do for you my friend…"

"You can help me prepare for the future…" A look of concern appeared on the priest's face, "…If and again I say if… Jothan has his way and gets the votes he needs to become king can he be stopped from altering the tradition laws?"

"You mean in regards to the force… We have enough enforcers to wipe out his entire clan if needs be…"

Kaban looked at him with a dumbfounded look, "I don't like Jothan but to wipe out the entire clan…"

"I hope it won't come to that either my friend…" Morban looked weary.

"What is wrong my friend?"

Morban sighed a deep sigh, "…There is fighting in the order …Priest Hara has been accused of practicing the force…"

"Are you serious…" Kaban asked in disbelief.

"Yes and if this gets out…"

"Clan Mother Caila will make a motion to dissolve the order…"

"Yes… she has always been against us and… I've tried to keep this under wraps…"

Kaban placed a hand on his shoulder, "Do you need help with investigation?"

"No that isn't necessary… I guess I just needed an ear to talk in…"

Kaban smiled, "Well it is always there when you need it…"

"And I appreciate it… now may I make a suggestion…"

"Always…"

They started walking through the archives through the floating gardens; a walkway that went from the fortress to a hovering garden. "Why don't you become king…"

Kaban grunted, "Me…"

"Yes… you would make a far better king than anyone of the other clan lords…"

Kaban leaned over the rail and stared out over the landscape, "King Kaban…" He looked at Morban.

"How about Emperor Kaban Sathar…"

Kaban smiled, "Interesting… but it is time I was leaving…"

Morban walked Kaban back to his speeder, "I hope you consider what I've said…"

Kaban just smiled and got into his transport and off it took towards his clan city near the ocean shore. The city was vast a technological marvel glistening in the sun. Kaban's estate sat in the center of the city the public governing seat for his clan; the people of the Sathar clan believed Kaban was the greatest leader they ever had. Kaban's family was waiting for him when he arrived in the private family hanger. His wife was a beautiful red head whose hair was partially braided and went to the middle of her back. They had three children two boys and a girl Halcek Sathar was the oldest at the age of seventeen, after him was Gervel Sathar who was fifteen, and Ilista Sathar who was fourteen.

"How was the clan meeting?" Amesca Sathar asked.

He kissed all his children before answering, "A disaster…" He replied putting his arm around her.

"It couldn't have been that bad…"

"Papa may I place my application with the order this year… the choosing is approaching fast…" Ilisa asked.

Kaban was against it especially after what he heard from Morban, "I'm still considering it…" They entered the house from the hanger into a lush room with a shimmering fountain in the center of the foyer with an open arch to the next room. Server droids stood at attention waiting for orders, while human servants prepared dinner on the patio over looking the ocean. Clan guards stood at attention on guard ready to die for the family.

"Father…" She objected.

He kissed her on the far head, "You are too anxious… and…"

Amesca put her finger over his lips, "My love don't say something you will regret later… we can finish this discussion later…"

"This isn't fair…" She barked and ran off.

"I'll go after her…" Helcek said leaving in the direction Ilisa went.

After some convincing on Helcek's part Ilisa joined her family at dinner which consisted of baked tubers in cream, pickled hornmip eggs, Ma'darf steak, and stir fried sippits. They talked about each others day and the politics of the clan meet.

"Well if we go monarchy I'd prefer Udann to become King if not Gaviss…" Amesca said as she drank from her goblet.

"Well I was talking with Morban and he said that I should become king…"

Kaban's statement stopped everyone from eating.

"You father are considering monarchy over a council…" Helcek said.

"I like it… Prince Gervel has a nice ring to it, but I do not know about King Kaban…"

Ilisa remained silent, "I suppose you are only agreeing to this in order to stop Jothan…"

His wife knew him well and Kaban smiled, "You have a nose for politics my love you should consider coming to the clan meet…"

Amesca looked at her daughter and smiled, "Ilisa don't you have anything to say…"

She ignored her mother and continued eating, Kaban let out a sigh, "If I allow you to become a member of the order you must promise me that you will join the priest's guild…"

"The priest's guild, but it was the enforcer's guild I wished to join…"

"That is the only way I will allow it and that is it…"

She closed her eyes and thought about it, "Fine then… if that is what I must do…"

"You will give me the clan oath before Head Priest Morban…"

Ilisa stood up and left the table, "Father is that necessary… to give the clan oath…" Gervel asked.

"Yes I didn't want to say this, but your sister has a very high medi-chloriant count over twenty-thousand…"

"Maybe we should have her purged…"Amesca said.

"I cannot believe my ears…" Helcek said, "…you are talking about your daughter mother and my sister…"

"The fact that she wants to join the enforcer's guild is warning enough for me…" She replied.

Helcek got up from the table, "If you'll excuse me… but I've lost my appetite…"

Ilisa was in her room staring at the small candle on her night stand, she took a deep breath and pointed at the candle; it wobbled a little then it rose into the air and she held it there with the force for the next three minutes.

"Are you crazy…" Helcek whispered in low voice startling Ilisa causing her to lose her concentration and the candle almost fell to the floor, he threw his hand out and with the force caught the candle before it broke and slowly lowered it to the night stand. "What if I was father…"

"But you weren't… I felt it…"

"You may be strong sister but you lack skill…"

She sighed, "I've decided to run away and search out the legendary sith or maybe the Jedi…"

"You will never get away with it… father will have you hunted down…"

"Possibly but we need a proper teacher and we will only find one with the sith or the Jedi…" She turned to face her brother. "…I feel the force and I want to use it…"

"So do I sister…" He sighed, "…Fine I will come with you. But…"

She silenced him with a wave, "I have prepared for this… I have a ship hidden in our secret place it has long range hyperspace capabilities and I have food stock piled for us…"

"And where do you suggest we go?" Helcek asked folding his arms.

"I have seen a vision we will head for the dark space…"

"Are you crazy… there is nothing out there…"

"That is what you think…" What she didn't tell her brother was that she saw in a vision an alien ship hiding in the dark space and that ship was the Inferno.

Early the next morning Kaban left the estate for the clan meet and when he was gone Amesca busied herself with the affairs of the clan. Helcek and Ilisa snuck out of the house while their mother was holding open court for clan grievances they used the excuse that they wanted to go riding and made their way to their secret place where a four man ship was hidden.

"How in the world did you hide all this…"

"You underestimate your sister dear brother you shouldn't…"

In order to escape the planet Ilisa sold her marriage jewelry in order to pay the space patrol so that she could leave the planet successfully.

The clan meet went on without the drama of the last one especially sense the clan lords brought updates on their respective clan projects. The Sathar, Byth, and Vaneer clans were responsible for ship and weapon designs; Kom, Tushall, and Roth clans were responsible for planetary city development and economical cooperation between the clans; the clans Dersan, Karass, and Porv were responsible for new science development and the remaining clans Orvax, Veshlin, Huun, and Shyrone were responsible for exploration of the surrounding star systems. When the clan lords met they first had breakfast before the meeting and it was Gafran who started the meeting. Each clan lord presented their clans accomplishments the most impressive was Sathar. Vaneer and Byth with their roller tanks and battle flyers and the new ship designs were very impressive. After all the clan lords made their presentations they got down to the business of discussing the future of the Arquillian race.

Kaban had the floor, "I still stand by my proposal… a supreme council to rule our people and enforce our laws…" and as usual he was elegant but one of his servants crossed the floor and whispered in his ear. "If the clan lords will I'd like to call a recess… personal affairs if you will…"

As Kaban made his request another servant of the Kom clan whispered into Jothan's ear, "Perhaps we should reconvene tomorrow and break for the day…"

They all agreed as Jothan hurried from the meet, while Kaban listened to a message from his wife, he took the mini holo-projector and activated it. A small hologram of his wife appeared, "My love…" She was in tears, "…I'm afraid our daughter has run away and Helcek has gone with her…"

Kaban hurried home and when he got there he comforted his wife with a hug, "We will find them I promise you…" He said whispering.

Seekers were like bounty hunters and they were allowed to use the force in regards to their senses and so Kaban had summoned four seekers to his estate in order to find his children.

"Son… my son if you know something you must tell us…" Kaban said to Gervel entering his room.

"I'm sorry father, but if I had known what they were up too I would have stopped them…"

They hugged Kaban was gracious for his son's words and sad that his eldest and heir to the title clan lord would betray the family in such a way. Amesca wouldn't be consoled in any way as the time went on.

Chapter. 7. Visitor

Wanderers were outcasts people without clan or family and they traveled from town to city depending on the kindness of others. The only place a wanderer couldn't go was back home to their clan and a wanderer is what Traya had disguised herself as. Traya had been traveling the unknown regions for the past year and a half and she had encountered beings like the Killiks, the Gunjaghi an advanced Reptilian like race, and the Durn a peaceful race of humans.

Traya had recently felt the force sensitive race known as the Arquillians; drawn to them Traya had been living among them for the past month and learned that the Arquillians believed in the force could use it, but they didn't. Traya had to tread carefully and if the Arquillians discovered her she would have to destroy them and that was something she didn't want to do. She had come to the planet because she was drawn to the planet by a vision she had and two Traya had learned that while the Arquillians didn't use the force they did study it and so she was trying to gain access to their archives.

As Traya walked across the grass plains heading North West towards the mountains where the Kom clan dwelt she felt a disturbance in the force and immediately spotted the source of the disturbance. Flying towards her on speeder bikes were four heavily armed clan soldiers; when they neared Traya they circled her for the next five minutes and stopped.

"Hold it right there Wanderer… where are you going?"

"I'm heading to clan city of Kom…" Traya cursed under her breath because she had sworn she would never disguise herself or hide who she was again.

"Of what clan are you…" The captain asked.

"Karass…"

When Traya said that the four men looked at each other, "Alright Clan Lord Jothan wants to see you… come with us…" The captain put Traya on his speeder and off they took.

The country side sped by fast as they zoomed towards the mountains and the clan city of Kom. The city was surrounded by three huge mountains topped with snow and connected by walls and gun towers carved into the mountains. They entered the city through a large archway protected by a force field that was currently off. Jothan's estate sat on the side of the second mountain overlooking the city and to get to it the people of the city had to walk up some stairs carved out of stone. The four speeders stopped on a flat lift that took them up to the mansion.

The Captain of the guard took Traya to the thrown room which was empty; the thrown room was grand and spacious with marble floors and silk curtains a sphere floated near the ceiling giving light to the thrown room the walls were decorated with gold pieces and jewels of all sizes. The thrown itself was decorated with pearls and gold and the clan crest was etched on a red standard drawn tight by two poles.

When Jothan entered the thrown room Traya knew something wasn't right with him. The soldiers bowed as he walked around Traya inspecting her; then went to his thrown, "Leave us…" the soldiers saluted and left the thrown room. "You aren't what I was expecting…"

Traya smiled, "Well your not the one who was really expecting me were you…"

Jothan returned the smiled, "Come with me…"

He lead her out of the thrown room and the mansion all together into the dug out part of the mountain, "What are you anyway…" she asked boldly.

"Your questions will be answered, but you will have to answer some as well…"

The cave they walked through was dimly lit by the glow lamps on the ceiling; they entered a turbo lift that took them down into the mountain about twenty stories. When they exited the lift they walked down another hallway and into a large training room with two levels and a man who was on his knees meditating and summoning the force. Traya gasped because the man looked exactly like Jothan. The man broke his meditation and picked up a force staff and walked to where Traya and the first Jothan were standing.

"Leave us…" He ordered to Jothan who bowed to the double and left. "Are you hungry do you need any food…"

"No… no thank you…" The man walked passed Traya and took a towel from the droid and dried himself off, "Are you twins?" Traya asked looking for an explanation.

He almost laughed, "I will answer all your questions, but you will in turn answer mine…" She agreed, "He is a clone… my clone trained to act and think like me so that I can practice the force without fear of discovery…"

"I see and what do you want with a wanderer…" She knew what he wanted or by now he had guessed Traya was testing him.

"Come now we both know you are not a wanderer… you know the ways of the force… you are a sith… I saw you in a vision teaching me training me… there are some Arquillians who crave the power and have the desire to use it…"

"And what do you know of the sith…"

"I know enough… teach me and together we can create an empire…"

Traya could tell he was attracted to her and she was attracted to him but didn't show it, Jothan definitely had ambition and she too had seen him in her visions but what she had seen was death, his death by her hands and no matter how she tried to make different choices she always saw the same results. Traya decided to go with the flow because there was something this man had that she needed and that was more important.

"If you know of the sith then you know that the sith don't abide weakness only the strong survive and are meant to rule…"

"I am strong…" He said defiantly. Then Jothan pointed his hand at a bolder and shattered it; he pointed his hand at another one and levitated it for a few seconds then he dropped the bolder.

"Impressive…"

Jothan didn't respond, but he jumped up fifty feet to the second level; then he jumped back down, "I can do that and I can see things before they happen and the only way I can reach my full potential is to have a proper teacher…"

Traya grunted, "Earlier you mentioned creating an empire why don't you tell me your plan and then I'll decide if to accept you or not…"

Jothan laid out his plan that involved cloning the council members and replacing them with people who were loyal to him then he could become king as for the order he was creating a scandal by framing Priest Hara for using the force. That way he could dissolve the order once and for all and then when he was king he'd put away with all the clans and create one clan.

Traya had been sitting the entire time Jothan was speaking, "Bold plan, but it is better to rule from the shadows than in the open that is the path of a true sith…" She hesitated, but decided to mentor him anyway, "…and your first lesson as my apprentice…"

"Not so fast…" He said which caused her to raise an eyebrow, "…Why did you come here?"

Traya smiled, "I was looking for a place to build a training academy then I felt the strength of your race… I decided to find out what I could about your people and recently I learned about your archives… I saw you in the force as well and thought maybe you could help me gain access to the archives…"

"I can especially sense you have agreed to become my teacher…"

"You will refer to me as master…"

Jothan got down on one knee, "By the word of my clan I will follow your teachings master…"

"Arise…" He obeyed, "…Three things first… I want to know why your people don't use the force... how are we going to gain access to your archives and lastly what is going on at the clan meets…"

For the next few hours Jothan told the tale of Dorban Vad of the vad clan who ruled all Arquillians with an iron hand over a thousand years ago. Dorban was a tyrant and with his servants the vad one hundred he conquered many star systems in the unknown regions. Then an uprising lead by Gamar Hun of the Hun clan overthrew Dorban and his entire clan. The entire Hun clan became the order of priests who study the force and a law was put into affect that no Arquillian was allowed to use the force. Then he revealed to Traya that he had spies and allies inside the order and that they could relay archive files to them.

"The clan meet is to decide what path our clan is to take; our future hangs in the balance because there are those who wish to become a state ruled by a supreme clan council and then there are those who wish to become a monarchy and finally a secret sect exists who wish to use the force and become an army of force users… no system in the galaxy would be able to stop us…"

"Indeed… Here is what you should do…" For the next hour Traya outlined her new plan to Jothan too which he liked until she said, "…Your clone has skill and I foresee him in the last match with Kaban… Have your clone throw the match…"

"But why after you train me master… we can create an empire together and rule…"

"As I told you a true sith rules from the shadows…"

Reluctantly Jothan agreed to her plan and then Traya had him prepare supplies for their departure, "When shall we leave master…"

"After you've taken care of Paleah Tushall…"

The next morning the clone Jothan showed up at the clan meet, but Kaban was late and he looked worn out and down trodden when he did arrive. He shrugged and stood up to address the clan lords.

"My fellow clan lords… I have a suggestion that will cure all our woes… why not have a tournament and the winner decides the fate of our race…"

The clan lords all looked at each other and Jothan's words seem to bring Kaban out of his slump, "A tournament…"

"Surely you jest…" Paleah asked who was getting angrier by the minute. She sent him a message on his personal data pad.

"And are we to hack each other to pieces?" Kaban asked.

"No the combatants must agree on the rules of the match… last person standing will be empowered to do as they wish…"

One by one the clan lords agreed to Jothan's request with the exception of Kaban and his allies who were holding out to see what he thought; after some deep consideration and taunts by Jothan; Kaban agreed and his allies acquiesced.

"Good then the tournament will begin in three days we all should send teams of engineers to build a collapsible arena…"

It took another five hours to iron out the details of the tournament and everyone finally agreed on the conditions of the tournament. The council broke session early so that the clan lords could prepare for the upcoming tournament. Paleah was furious because Jothan hadn't discussed his new plan with her; both clan lords had broken their betrothals in order to become lovers for mutual gain, but Paleah didn't know she was making love to a clone. She took her clan ship into orbit to meet with Jothan and question him about what she felt was a betrayal. When the ships connected by umbilical she stormed in a rage across the umbilical and directly to Jothan's suite.

"What the hell was that…" She barked.

He raised his hands to calm her, "Give me a chance to explain…"

"Oh I can't wait to hear this…" Paleah cried crossing her arms.

Jothan pointed to a pair of doors that opened and Paleah gasped as four other people entered the room; one of them looked exactly like Jothan in appearance and height, the forth was wearing a hooded cloak.

"What is this?" She asked in disbelief as her eyes dotted in between the first and second Jothan.

"You can believe your eyes for I am the real Jothan; he is a clone created from my DNA…"

"But why…"

"In order to gain your trust my dear… And to get a DNA sample from you…" with a signal from the real Jothan the hooded woman removed her hood.

"But that's me…"

"Yes… she will take your place and I will rule your clan from the shadows…"

"But Jo… than…"

Paleah tried to plead to the clone Jothan, but the real Jothan raised a claw like hand and force choked her. She fell to her knees gasping for air. "I'm sorry but you've outlived your usefulness and since you are going to die it would be pointless to explain our plans…" Before she died Paleah noticed the second woman dressed like a wanderer standing next to him.

"Well done…" Traya said approvingly.

"Thank you master…" He looked at her, "…Now do we leave?"

Traya was about to answer when she felt a familiar presence in the force two of them, she gasped because one was Revan and the second was the exile Kailen Star. "Change of plans… You aren't coming with me… you will remain here until I return…"

"But why master?"

"There is something I must attend too… and you will be of no help to me… remain here and continue as we planned, but remember stay out of sight…"

Before Jothan could ask any more questions Traya vanished in a bright red flash, "I can't wait to finish my training he said in amazement…" He stood there for the next twenty minutes before he returned his attention to the clones. "Get rid of the body…" He ordered the clone Jothan, "…And you return to your ship." He said to the Paleah clone.

Three days had come and gone; the arena was up and running and the elite of the clans came to watch their leaders fight it out for the fate of the Arquillian race. The arena had been constructed to be taken down as easily at it had been erected and had been built to accommodate five thousand people. Most of the clan lords had entered their names into the computer in order to participate all that is for Paleah who had been order not to participate and Gafran who had chosen his nephew Orman Karass to represent him in the tournament since he was out of shape. That placed it at an even twelve for six matches; the computer had already selected the match ups. Kaban's first opponent would be Caxus Dersan of the Dersan clan; Ubann's first opponent was Jerfam Shyrone; Jothan was matched against Zurran Byth; Neila was matched against Orman; NuTas Porv was matched against Xail Veshlin and Caila Orvax was matched against Than Huun.

The tournament was set to last three days the winners would learn their new matches the next day. The arena filled to capacity and for those who couldn't attend watched via holo-transmission.

"Are you ready my friend…" Kaban asked in the holding area where the combatants were getting ready.

Ubann turned to face him, "I am if we get matched up…" He hesitated.

"We will always be friends, but don't expect me to go easy on you…"

He smiled, "Of course not…"

Morban was in attendance and presided over the tournament, "We are gathered here to decide the fate of our race through combat and the winner will be empowered to decide that fate… Let the tournament begin…"

A horn was sounded and the names that came up were Neila and Orman; the two had agreed on shock weapons archaic weapons electrified to give a mild shock the rules were that they would fight until one of them surrendered or passed out from the shocks. Neila entered the arena wearing an armored bronze and black bra with spiked grieves on her arms a head ban kept her hair up and she wore white leggings. She was armed with a shock staff and a whip was coiled around her torso. Orman was bare chest with a heavy belt around his waist and leather leggings and heavy boots; he was armed with a shield and long sword.

Orman made the first move charging across the field at full speed but instead of swinging his sword he used his shield, but Neila rolled to the ground and came up on her knees and blocked Orman's sword. She jumped up spinning around and whacked Orman across the chest.

"Ahhh…" He screamed out in pain, but was able to block with his shield when Neila struck again.

Orman was slow and unable to defend all of Neila's attacks and was hit three more times, but not in succession so he had a breather in between shocks but they were taking their toll on him. Orman shoved Neila against the wall pinning her there and at the same time he held his sword on her leg shocking her. He received a few cries of boo and hackles for the cheap move but he didn't care Neila was immobilized.

Neila had to get out of this so she pushed with all her might and stomped on his foot she swept his feet from under him with her staff and planted the end of her staff in his chest and held it there her knee was on his shield arm and the sword had been knocked from his hand. Eventually Orman passed out and Neila was declared the winner; Morban raised her hand high in victory as the crowd gave a thunderous cheer.

The next match was Ubann and Jerfam they fought a hand to hand combat match that lasted nineteen minutes and ended with Ubann kicking Jerfam in the head and knocking him unconscious.

Jothan entered the ring wearing a leather cross band over his chest the insignia of his clan crested in gold in the center. He wielded two short swords and wore thick arm bands with spikes protruding out of them. His opponent Zurran was dressed in a half armor the right side of his chest was covered along with his shoulder which was spiked. He was armed with an axe and a broad sword on his back; he walked across the arena confidently and arrogantly determined to put Jothan in his place.

Their weapons met in the air with a loud clang of metal on metal, Jothan was the first one to land a blow on Zurran giving him a shock that caused him to grunt between his teeth, but Zurran quickly recovered blocking the next attack and countering with a hit to the gut. When Jothan bent down he received a knee to the face along with a broken nose. The sight of blood on Jothan's face only caused Zurran to press his attack; with every swing of his axe Jothan rolled out of the way and on the fifth swing he raised his foot and broke the axe head off then he jumped up off of his back and landed three blows in a row. Zurran rolled to the ground and came up drawing his broad sword, but Jothan was ready; he kicked up some dirt and blinded Zurran who swung wildly to keep Jothan at bay. Jothan rolled forward under his attack and planted the flat parts of his sword on his stomach and back; the shock of both blades were too much for him and down he went to the ground with heavy thud. Some of the onlookers booed as Morban raised his hand in victory because Jothan had kicked dirt into Zurran's eyes.

"He would have lost if he hadn't kicked dirt into your eyes…" Zurran's black haired Mandalorian wife said to him.

"Sheera…" He said calling her name.

The sand was combed over to hide the wet sand in preparation for the next match which was between Kaban and Caxus. Their match was a hand to hand combat match lasted five minutes because Kaban hit Caxus so hard he was out in that short of time. Kaban's victory caused a thunderous applause the likes of which had never been heard before.

The applause lasted for over an hour and when it was done NuTas and Xail also fought a hand to hand combat match that lasted for an hour with kicks and flips, punches, and ducks, in the end NuTas grabbed Xail by his neck and tried to choke him, but Xail elbowed him in the gut and flipped him over; then NuTas brought his legs up and flipped Xail over he then stuck his knee into his throat and that is when Xail surrendered.

The last and final match was between Caila and Than; Caila walked across the arena armed with a pair of gauntlets strapped to her hips she wore no armor; what she wore was a two piece fighting suit. Than was armed with a short sword and he wore a breast plate with metal sleeves. Caila walked right up to Than and unzipped her top exposing her breasts to Than who had raised his sword to attack, but stopped in shock looking at her voluptuous body. With the distraction Caila slipped her hands into her gauntlets and sandwiched Than's head shocking him until he passed out. The onlookers laughed as Morban declared Caila the winner and the matches were over.

The winners were Neila, Ubann, Jothan, Kaban, NuTas, and Caila who all stood next to each other receiving a thunderous applause from the crowd.

"That was not very lady like…" Xail said to his sister Caila in the armory.

Caila had married the former clan lord of Orvax who was accused of using the force and executed. When he died Caila became Clan Lord, "It won me the contest didn't it…"

"And how do you plan to win your next match…"

Before she could answer Than was roled by on a medical capsule causing them both to laugh, "I'll use my gauntlets of course…"

He hugged her, "I taught you well…"

Kaban was getting a rub down from his server droid, "I can finish that…" Amesca said walking up behind them.

"How are you my love…"

"I miss my children… has there been any word yet?"

"None… don't give up we will get them back…" He said trying to comfort her.

She walked around the table and stood in front of him, "I have a request…"

"You may ask anything of me you know that…"

She sighed and took a deep breath before continuing, "You may not like it… um… I'd like you to declare yourself king when you win this tournament…"

He smiled and was humbled at her confidence in him and at the same time offended by the fact she wanted him to throw aside his principles, "What makes you think I'll win especially if I have to face Ubann or Neila…"

She took another deep breath because of what she was about to say, "…I had a dream you won and it was no ordinary dream if you catch my meaning…" He stood up; visions in the force weren't uncommon among their people but to use them for self gain carried serious consequences. "If that is the case then I will withdraw from the tournament…"

"No please…" She cried grabbing him by his arms, "…Here my reasoning and then decide… If you are king and word spreads then that may cause Helcek and Ilisa to return home… you know how proud they are…"

He sighed, "This goes against my principles…"

"I know but you did say that Morban said you'd make a good King…"

He kissed her on the forehead, "I will consider it my love and that is all I can promise…"

The next morning the crowds gathered in anticipation for today's matches as a parade of clan members from each of the thirteen clans marched before the crowd and then some enforcers displayed their strength and speed in mock battles. Then the moment everyone had been waiting for came after Morban gave a speech the matches were posted on the large holo-viewer and the first match was between Ubann and Kaban.

"Don't hold back my friend…"

"I won't and neither should you…" Ubann replied before they walked in different directions in the tunnel that went around the arena so that the combatants could enter the arena from opposite sides.

A thunderous cheer went up when both Kaban and Ubann entered the arena; Kaban wore a black sparring jacket and white Kuntai pants. Kuntai was a hand to hand combat form similar to the hand to hand combat techniques of the Mandalorians. Ubann wore the same except his entire suit was red with a black sash at his waist; both men had studied under the legendary Quintall who invented the technique so the fight was going to be very good and long since both Ubann and Kaban had similar builds. The combatants took up their fighting stances Ubann used the krayt dragon technique while Kaban took the humming beetle stance.

Kaban made the first move which surprised Ubann then he quickly realized that Kaban was trying to set the pace of their fight. Kaban started with some strait punches and jabs then he switched styles to an aggressive form spider monkey then he switched to kicks and spin punches and the dancing flower technique.

The whole time Ubann was on the defense trying not to get hit, "Alright… my friend no more fooling around amateur night is over…" Ubann went on the offensive using counter punches and side kicks; he got inside Kaban's defense and elbowed him in the head then he swept his feet and tried to put him the sleep of Kun a submission move few people knew how to break, but like the master Kuntai artist he had become Kaban broke the hold and flipped Ubann over. "You've been practicing…" Ubann said jumping to his feet.

"And you've been holding back…"

Ubann smiled, "Forgive me my friend…"

They bowed to each other and took up fighting stances that had not been seen since the days of Quintall. The audience gasped and began clapping because they knew they were about to see a real fight. Amesca was sitting next to Ubann's wife Valar and they looked at each other when their husbands bowed.

Ubann and Kaban threw punches and the same time countering blocking sweeping and the combat seem to get faster and faster a punch was landed by Kaban; then a kick to the upper thigh was landed by Kaban. The match seem to go on and on with both sides inflicting pain on each other.

Then Kaban landed a series of blows that knocked the wind out of Ubann and he swept his legs from under him and placed his foot in his throat.

"I yield…" Ubann finally said.

Kaban helped him up as Morban declared Kaban the winner, "You… have a hard head…" Kaban said taking heavy breaths, "…I hope we never have to fight again…"

"Me too…" He replied limping to the back, where their wives were waiting.

The match between Kaban and Ubann lasted for an hour and two minutes. The next pair was Neila and NuTas who was disappointed at having to fight a woman, "Are you going to show off your body as well…" He asked, because she was wearing the same thing Caila wore yesterday.

Neila smiled, "That depends are you going to be as boring as my last opponent?"

He grunted and charged her with all his might, both were using shock weapons Neila armed with her staff and whip while NuTas used a curved sword. The two combatants opened up with a series of quick attacks to the face and body. In the first five minutes of battle Neila landed four hits in a row and she would have gotten a fifth except for the fact that NuTas rolled to the ground sticking his foot up and breaking her staff. She threw both pieces at him and uncoiled her whip which she caused more damage with. She disarmed NuTas and wrapped the whip around his neck shocking him until he passed out.

"The victor is Clan Lord Neila…" Morban cried raising her hand in victory.

"That was boring…" Neila said to NuTas as he was awakened by the medical droids.

From the right side of the arena Jothan emerged from the archway armed with his dual swords as usual and wearing the same garb he wore yesterday. From the opposite side of the arena Caila emerged wearing a brown leather one piece skirt and armed with her gauntlets her hair was tied into one large braid down her back and she wore a war crown with the symbol of her clan on it. Neither combatant said a word as they fought each other with both clan lords landing blows in the space of three minutes. What kept Caila in the game was the fact that her gauntlets went up to her elbows and she would grab Jothan's sword with her armored hand. The fight lasted another eleven minutes when Jothan broke Caila's arm at the elbow and whacked her across the head with the flat of his sword; Caila was out for hours and had to be hovered in a medical capsule out of the arena with her brother and niece at her side; Xail gave Jothan a venomous look.

Kaban was pacing back and forth in his tent as Amesca tried once again to convince him that he was going to win and that he should declare himself King.

"I… I just don't know what if this doesn't bring the children back then what…"

She closed her eyes, "I don't want to even think about it…"

They talked for another hour before Kaban lay his head down on the pillow and held his wife tight to comfort her.

The dark space, denizens of the unknown regions often referred to it as the black spot or the great hole. It was an area in space where there were no stars or light of any kind to be scene for thousands of light years and no one dared enter the void because one could get lost it was a type of dead zone where sound didn't exist either.

"I can't believe I listened to you…" Helcek yelled. "…There is nothing out here…"

"Will you be quiet and let me think…" The ship Ilisa had seen in her visions was gone.

"At least tell me why we are out here…"

"We are looking for a ship an alien ship…"

Helcek was getting angrier, "And why pray tell would a ship hide in the dark space…"

"That is obvious because it didn't want to be found…"

He pulled out a ration bar and began chewing, then he stopped and tried to find her ship, but instead of the ship what he found was a pair of ion trails leaving the dark space and a huge force signature unlike anything he ever felt. "Let's go…" He said.

"Where…"

"Out of here… you were right your ship was here and it left… how long ago I don't know, but who ever it was left a force impression big enough to make Morban and the entire order quake in their boots…"

"You sensed all that?" She asked amazed.

"Yes…"

Ilisa stretched out with her mind and felt the same things Helcek did, but then she felt something else, "Dam… seekers…"

"What are you sure?"

"Positive…"

Ilisa looped the ship around and brought her guns to bare on four mini-fighters coming out of hyper-space she targeted the first ship without the auto lock using her force senses only, because most of her scanning instruments were useless in the dark space.

"What the hell are doing…"

"Father sent them and those seekers won't give up until we are caught… so I am putting them out of there misery…"

She opened fire and the first ship silently vanished in a plume of fire; then Ilisa took down the second ship before the last two could react in time. The remaining fighters looped around and got in a dog fight with Ilisa, but Ilisa was no slouch when it came to flying and she was using the force to anticipate their moves. There was only one thing the fighters could do and that was to separate and make a run for it; whomever Ilisa chased would allow the second to get away.

"Dam… can you stop him…" she asked after vaping the first fighter.

"And how shall I do that…"

"Use the force grab his yoke smash his ion drive, but do something… we can't allow him to go back and tell the enforcers… you know that is where he will go first an then we will have them looking for us and that is trouble I don't want…"

Ilisa was right and the enforcers were better trained than the seekers, "I'll try…"

"Don't try make it happen…" She barked.

"Get me as close as possible… and I am going to need your help…"

Helcek had never attempted something like this before as he drew on his sister's strength as well in order to pinch the fuel line in his engines and after three minutes the ship exploded.

"We did it…" Ilisa cried, but her brother had passed out after having to concentrate for so long.

"You rest brother I will get us out of here…" Before leaving Ilisa opened her mind and tried to see into the future in order to get their bearings, but all she saw was a huge stellar space station in the lorin sector. She smiled and used the force to locate her hyperspace entry point and left the dark space.

It was the last day of the tournament and as the matching computer would have it Kaban and Jothan were the first two to fight and they agreed to use weapons. The match lasted twenty-six minutes with Kaban as the winner.

"What's wrong my friend you should be delighted…" Ubann asked in the armory when the match was over.

He looked at Ubann, "I think Jothan threw that macth…"

Ubann looked around the room and got a little closer so that no one could hear, "Are you certain…"

"I've fought master swordsmen before and he was pulling his attacks and letting me in his guard… and we've both seen him fight he is blade master…"

"But what purpose would there be in him throwing the match…"

"That is what we must find out…" Kaban looked at Ubann and decided to tell him, "…I've decided something and I want you to be…" He laughed, "…The second to know at least."

"What is it…"

"If I win… I'm going to declare us a monarchy…"

Ubann stared at him for so long Kaban thought he would have to slap him in order to snap him out of it, "What brought this on…" He finally asked.

"Several things and you are the first person to know this outside my family…" Kaban told him everything, about his children running away and his wife's vision, "…I am doing this because it could bring them back and it will give me the power to investigate the Kom clan for duplicity…"

"You are walking a dangerous line my friend… have you considered the fact that the reason your wife had that vision is because Jothan threw the fight…"

"Listen to you the force philosopher… but yes I have considered that which is why I want to do it and I could always relinquish the thrown when I finally have Jothan where I want him…"

The final match didn't happen until Kaban was fully rested from his last duel to which the combatants agreed to a weapons duel. Neila was dressed in a two piece armor with a breast plate and one armored sleeve. She wore an armored skirt that was all silver even the head ban she wore was silver. This time Neila was armed with a shock whip only; Kaban was armed with curved sword and a bladed gauntlet his chest and abdomen were armored and he wore leather leggings and thick boots. They approached each other and bowed and a thunderous applause went up as they faced off.

To keep Kaban at a distance she whirled her whip around and around and would sometimes crack the whip; all Kaban could do was duck and dodge, but when she flicked her whip this time it caught on his gauntlet. Kaban cut the whip with his sword and tried to close the distance but Neila struck him across the face which elicited a very heavy grunt. He berated himself because he should have wound the whip around his arm.

As the match wore on Kaban thought he could wear her down but she was fresh and hadn't done anything to demanding but hold him at bay. He tried rolling to the ground to catch her off guard, but Neila flicked her whip and caught him on the leg bringing him down. Kaban used that to wrap the whip around his leg which drew her closer to his sword, because he knew she wasn't about to give up the only weapon she had. When Neila got close she pushed something on the side of her whip handle and unsheathed a blade on the opposite end and with a war cry she lunged at him hoping to shock him in the gut, but Kaban rolled to the side.

"You are mine…" He barked hitting her on the back with the gauntlet and shocking her until she passed out.

A thunderous cheer went out as Morban raised Kaban's hand in victory, "I am glad it is you my friend…"

("You may not be after you hear my decision…") He thought to himself.

The arena was taken down and all the spectators returned to their clan cities as the clan lords gathered one last time to hear what Kaban would decide; three days had passed since the last match.

"My fellow clan lords… I have always been against the creation of a monarchy… but recent events have made me come to a new line of thinking… as it is by the power invested in me I declare our race a monarchy…" His announcement shocked his allies and delighted Jothan and his friends while others were confused and angry. "…I didn't come to this decision lightly… and I make it with a heavy heart… I name myself and my family royal heirs to the new Arquillian thrown…"

Some clapped while others who had been angry accepted it better especially since Kaban named himself King.

Two days after the announcement all the lords and ladies of each clan gathered together for Kaban's coronation which was to last an entire week; the week was filled with dancing and parades holo-vids from the tournament and food. At sundown on the last day of the week long celebration Kaban and Amesca were crowned King and Queen of all Arquillians; then Gervel was crowned prince of the royal house of Sathar.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter. 7. Visitor

Wanderers were outcasts people without clan or family and they traveled from town to city depending on the kindness of others. The only place a wanderer couldn't go was back home to their clan and a wanderer is what Traya had disguised herself as. Traya had been traveling the unknown regions for the past year and a half and she had encountered beings like the Killiks, the Gunjaghi an advanced Reptilian like race, and the Durn a peaceful race of humans.

Traya had recently felt the force sensitive race known as the Arquillians; drawn to them Traya had been living among them for the past month and learned that the Arquillians believed in the force could use it, but they didn't. Traya had to tread carefully and if the Arquillians discovered her she would have to destroy them and that was something she didn't want to do. She had come to the planet because she was drawn to the planet by a vision she had and two Traya had learned that while the Arquillians didn't use the force they did study it and so she was trying to gain access to their archives.

As Traya walked across the grass plains heading North West towards the mountains where the Kom clan dwelt she felt a disturbance in the force and immediately spotted the source of the disturbance. Flying towards her on speeder bikes were four heavily armed clan soldiers; when they neared Traya they circled her for the next five minutes and stopped.

"Hold it right there Wanderer… where are you going?"

"I'm heading to clan city of Kom…" Traya cursed under her breath because she had sworn she would never disguise herself or hide who she was again.

"Of what clan are you…" The captain asked.

"Karass…"

When Traya said that the four men looked at each other, "Alright Clan Lord Jothan wants to see you… come with us…" The captain put Traya on his speeder and off they took.

The country side sped by fast as they zoomed towards the mountains and the clan city of Kom. The city was surrounded by three huge mountains topped with snow and connected by walls and gun towers carved into the mountains. They entered the city through a large archway protected by a force field that was currently off. Jothan's estate sat on the side of the second mountain overlooking the city and to get to it the people of the city had to walk up some stairs carved out of stone. The four speeders stopped on a flat lift that took them up to the mansion.

The Captain of the guard took Traya to the thrown room which was empty; the thrown room was grand and spacious with marble floors and silk curtains a sphere floated near the ceiling giving light to the thrown room the walls were decorated with gold pieces and jewels of all sizes. The thrown itself was decorated with pearls and gold and the clan crest was etched on a red standard drawn tight by two poles.

When Jothan entered the thrown room Traya knew something wasn't right with him. The soldiers bowed as he walked around Traya inspecting her; then went to his thrown, "Leave us…" the soldiers saluted and left the thrown room. "You aren't what I was expecting…"

Traya smiled, "Well your not the one who was really expecting me were you…"

Jothan returned the smiled, "Come with me…"

He lead her out of the thrown room and the mansion all together into the dug out part of the mountain, "What are you anyway…" she asked boldly.

"Your questions will be answered, but you will have to answer some as well…"

The cave they walked through was dimly lit by the glow lamps on the ceiling; they entered a turbo lift that took them down into the mountain about twenty stories. When they exited the lift they walked down another hallway and into a large training room with two levels and a man who was on his knees meditating and summoning the force. Traya gasped because the man looked exactly like Jothan. The man broke his meditation and picked up a force staff and walked to where Traya and the first Jothan were standing.

"Leave us…" He ordered to Jothan who bowed to the double and left. "Are you hungry do you need any food…"

"No… no thank you…" The man walked passed Traya and took a towel from the droid and dried himself off, "Are you twins?" Traya asked looking for an explanation.

He almost laughed, "I will answer all your questions, but you will in turn answer mine…" She agreed, "He is a clone… my clone trained to act and think like me so that I can practice the force without fear of discovery…"

"I see and what do you want with a wanderer…" She knew what he wanted or by now he had guessed Traya was testing him.

"Come now we both know you are not a wanderer… you know the ways of the force… you are a sith… I saw you in a vision teaching me training me… there are some Arquillians who crave the power and have the desire to use it…"

"And what do you know of the sith…"

"I know enough… teach me and together we can create an empire…"

Traya could tell he was attracted to her and she was attracted to him but didn't show it, Jothan definitely had ambition and she too had seen him in her visions but what she had seen was death, his death by her hands and no matter how she tried to make different choices she always saw the same results. Traya decided to go with the flow because there was something this man had that she needed and that was more important.

"If you know of the sith then you know that the sith don't abide weakness only the strong survive and are meant to rule…"

"I am strong…" He said defiantly. Then Jothan pointed his hand at a bolder and shattered it; he pointed his hand at another one and levitated it for a few seconds then he dropped the bolder.

"Impressive…"

Jothan didn't respond, but he jumped up fifty feet to the second level; then he jumped back down, "I can do that and I can see things before they happen and the only way I can reach my full potential is to have a proper teacher…"

Traya grunted, "Earlier you mentioned creating an empire why don't you tell me your plan and then I'll decide if to accept you or not…"

Jothan laid out his plan that involved cloning the council members and replacing them with people who were loyal to him then he could become king as for the order he was creating a scandal by framing Priest Hara for using the force. That way he could dissolve the order once and for all and then when he was king he'd put away with all the clans and create one clan.

Traya had been sitting the entire time Jothan was speaking, "Bold plan, but it is better to rule from the shadows than in the open that is the path of a true sith…" She hesitated, but decided to mentor him anyway, "…and your first lesson as my apprentice…"

"Not so fast…" He said which caused her to raise an eyebrow, "…Why did you come here?"

Traya smiled, "I was looking for a place to build a training academy then I felt the strength of your race… I decided to find out what I could about your people and recently I learned about your archives… I saw you in the force as well and thought maybe you could help me gain access to the archives…"

"I can especially sense you have agreed to become my teacher…"

"You will refer to me as master…"

Jothan got down on one knee, "By the word of my clan I will follow your teachings master…"

"Arise…" He obeyed, "…Three things first… I want to know why your people don't use the force... how are we going to gain access to your archives and lastly what is going on at the clan meets…"

For the next few hours Jothan told the tale of Dorban Vad of the vad clan who ruled all Arquillians with an iron hand over a thousand years ago. Dorban was a tyrant and with his servants the vad one hundred he conquered many star systems in the unknown regions. Then an uprising lead by Gamar Hun of the Hun clan overthrew Dorban and his entire clan. The entire Hun clan became the order of priests who study the force and a law was put into affect that no Arquillian was allowed to use the force. Then he revealed to Traya that he had spies and allies inside the order and that they could relay archive files to them.

"The clan meet is to decide what path our clan is to take; our future hangs in the balance because there are those who wish to become a state ruled by a supreme clan council and then there are those who wish to become a monarchy and finally a secret sect exists who wish to use the force and become an army of force users… no system in the galaxy would be able to stop us…"

"Indeed… Here is what you should do…" For the next hour Traya outlined her new plan to Jothan too which he liked until she said, "…Your clone has skill and I foresee him in the last match with Kaban… Have your clone throw the match…"

"But why after you train me master… we can create an empire together and rule…"

"As I told you a true sith rules from the shadows…"

Reluctantly Jothan agreed to her plan and then Traya had him prepare supplies for their departure, "When shall we leave master…"

"After you've taken care of Paleah Tushall…"

The next morning the clone Jothan showed up at the clan meet, but Kaban was late and he looked worn out and down trodden when he did arrive. He shrugged and stood up to address the clan lords.

"My fellow clan lords… I have a suggestion that will cure all our woes… why not have a tournament and the winner decides the fate of our race…"

The clan lords all looked at each other and Jothan's words seem to bring Kaban out of his slump, "A tournament…"

"Surely you jest…" Paleah asked who was getting angrier by the minute. She sent him a message on his personal data pad.

"And are we to hack each other to pieces?" Kaban asked.

"No the combatants must agree on the rules of the match… last person standing will be empowered to do as they wish…"

One by one the clan lords agreed to Jothan's request with the exception of Kaban and his allies who were holding out to see what he thought; after some deep consideration and taunts by Jothan; Kaban agreed and his allies acquiesced.

"Good then the tournament will begin in three days we all should send teams of engineers to build a collapsible arena…"

It took another five hours to iron out the details of the tournament and everyone finally agreed on the conditions of the tournament. The council broke session early so that the clan lords could prepare for the upcoming tournament. Paleah was furious because Jothan hadn't discussed his new plan with her; both clan lords had broken their betrothals in order to become lovers for mutual gain, but Paleah didn't know she was making love to a clone. She took her clan ship into orbit to meet with Jothan and question him about what she felt was a betrayal. When the ships connected by umbilical she stormed in a rage across the umbilical and directly to Jothan's suite.

"What the hell was that…" She barked.

He raised his hands to calm her, "Give me a chance to explain…"

"Oh I can't wait to hear this…" Paleah cried crossing her arms.

Jothan pointed to a pair of doors that opened and Paleah gasped as four other people entered the room; one of them looked exactly like Jothan in appearance and height, the forth was wearing a hooded cloak.

"What is this?" She asked in disbelief as her eyes dotted in between the first and second Jothan.

"You can believe your eyes for I am the real Jothan; he is a clone created from my DNA…"

"But why…"

"In order to gain your trust my dear… And to get a DNA sample from you…" with a signal from the real Jothan the hooded woman removed her hood.

"But that's me…"

"Yes… she will take your place and I will rule your clan from the shadows…"

"But Jo… than…"

Paleah tried to plead to the clone Jothan, but the real Jothan raised a claw like hand and force choked her. She fell to her knees gasping for air. "I'm sorry but you've outlived your usefulness and since you are going to die it would be pointless to explain our plans…" Before she died Paleah noticed the second woman dressed like a wanderer standing next to him.

"Well done…" Traya said approvingly.

"Thank you master…" He looked at her, "…Now do we leave?"

Traya was about to answer when she felt a familiar presence in the force two of them, she gasped because one was Revan and the second was the exile Kailen Star. "Change of plans… You aren't coming with me… you will remain here until I return…"

"But why master?"

"There is something I must attend too… and you will be of no help to me… remain here and continue as we planned, but remember stay out of sight…"

Before Jothan could ask any more questions Traya vanished in a bright red flash, "I can't wait to finish my training he said in amazement…" He stood there for the next twenty minutes before he returned his attention to the clones. "Get rid of the body…" He ordered the clone Jothan, "…And you return to your ship." He said to the Paleah clone.

Three days had come and gone; the arena was up and running and the elite of the clans came to watch their leaders fight it out for the fate of the Arquillian race. The arena had been constructed to be taken down as easily at it had been erected and had been built to accommodate five thousand people. Most of the clan lords had entered their names into the computer in order to participate all that is for Paleah who had been order not to participate and Gafran who had chosen his nephew Orman Karass to represent him in the tournament since he was out of shape. That placed it at an even twelve for six matches; the computer had already selected the match ups. Kaban's first opponent would be Caxus Dersan of the Dersan clan; Ubann's first opponent was Jerfam Shyrone; Jothan was matched against Zurran Byth; Neila was matched against Orman; NuTas Porv was matched against Xail Veshlin and Caila Orvax was matched against Than Huun.

The tournament was set to last three days the winners would learn their new matches the next day. The arena filled to capacity and for those who couldn't attend watched via holo-transmission.

"Are you ready my friend…" Kaban asked in the holding area where the combatants were getting ready.

Ubann turned to face him, "I am if we get matched up…" He hesitated.

"We will always be friends, but don't expect me to go easy on you…"

He smiled, "Of course not…"

Morban was in attendance and presided over the tournament, "We are gathered here to decide the fate of our race through combat and the winner will be empowered to decide that fate… Let the tournament begin…"

A horn was sounded and the names that came up were Neila and Orman; the two had agreed on shock weapons archaic weapons electrified to give a mild shock the rules were that they would fight until one of them surrendered or passed out from the shocks. Neila entered the arena wearing an armored bronze and black bra with spiked grieves on her arms a head ban kept her hair up and she wore white leggings. She was armed with a shock staff and a whip was coiled around her torso. Orman was bare chest with a heavy belt around his waist and leather leggings and heavy boots; he was armed with a shield and long sword.

Orman made the first move charging across the field at full speed but instead of swinging his sword he used his shield, but Neila rolled to the ground and came up on her knees and blocked Orman's sword. She jumped up spinning around and whacked Orman across the chest.

"Ahhh…" He screamed out in pain, but was able to block with his shield when Neila struck again.

Orman was slow and unable to defend all of Neila's attacks and was hit three more times, but not in succession so he had a breather in between shocks but they were taking their toll on him. Orman shoved Neila against the wall pinning her there and at the same time he held his sword on her leg shocking her. He received a few cries of boo and hackles for the cheap move but he didn't care Neila was immobilized.

Neila had to get out of this so she pushed with all her might and stomped on his foot she swept his feet from under him with her staff and planted the end of her staff in his chest and held it there her knee was on his shield arm and the sword had been knocked from his hand. Eventually Orman passed out and Neila was declared the winner; Morban raised her hand high in victory as the crowd gave a thunderous cheer.

The next match was Ubann and Jerfam they fought a hand to hand combat match that lasted nineteen minutes and ended with Ubann kicking Jerfam in the head and knocking him unconscious.

Jothan entered the ring wearing a leather cross band over his chest the insignia of his clan crested in gold in the center. He wielded two short swords and wore thick arm bands with spikes protruding out of them. His opponent Zurran was dressed in a half armor the right side of his chest was covered along with his shoulder which was spiked. He was armed with an axe and a broad sword on his back; he walked across the arena confidently and arrogantly determined to put Jothan in his place.

Their weapons met in the air with a loud clang of metal on metal, Jothan was the first one to land a blow on Zurran giving him a shock that caused him to grunt between his teeth, but Zurran quickly recovered blocking the next attack and countering with a hit to the gut. When Jothan bent down he received a knee to the face along with a broken nose. The sight of blood on Jothan's face only caused Zurran to press his attack; with every swing of his axe Jothan rolled out of the way and on the fifth swing he raised his foot and broke the axe head off then he jumped up off of his back and landed three blows in a row. Zurran rolled to the ground and came up drawing his broad sword, but Jothan was ready; he kicked up some dirt and blinded Zurran who swung wildly to keep Jothan at bay. Jothan rolled forward under his attack and planted the flat parts of his sword on his stomach and back; the shock of both blades were too much for him and down he went to the ground with heavy thud. Some of the onlookers booed as Morban raised his hand in victory because Jothan had kicked dirt into Zurran's eyes.

"He would have lost if he hadn't kicked dirt into your eyes…" Zurran's black haired Mandalorian wife said to him.

"Sheera…" He said calling her name.

The sand was combed over to hide the wet sand in preparation for the next match which was between Kaban and Caxus. Their match was a hand to hand combat match lasted five minutes because Kaban hit Caxus so hard he was out in that short of time. Kaban's victory caused a thunderous applause the likes of which had never been heard before.

The applause lasted for over an hour and when it was done NuTas and Xail also fought a hand to hand combat match that lasted for an hour with kicks and flips, punches, and ducks, in the end NuTas grabbed Xail by his neck and tried to choke him, but Xail elbowed him in the gut and flipped him over; then NuTas brought his legs up and flipped Xail over he then stuck his knee into his throat and that is when Xail surrendered.

The last and final match was between Caila and Than; Caila walked across the arena armed with a pair of gauntlets strapped to her hips she wore no armor; what she wore was a two piece fighting suit. Than was armed with a short sword and he wore a breast plate with metal sleeves. Caila walked right up to Than and unzipped her top exposing her breasts to Than who had raised his sword to attack, but stopped in shock looking at her voluptuous body. With the distraction Caila slipped her hands into her gauntlets and sandwiched Than's head shocking him until he passed out. The onlookers laughed as Morban declared Caila the winner and the matches were over.

The winners were Neila, Ubann, Jothan, Kaban, NuTas, and Caila who all stood next to each other receiving a thunderous applause from the crowd.

"That was not very lady like…" Xail said to his sister Caila in the armory.

Caila had married the former clan lord of Orvax who was accused of using the force and executed. When he died Caila became Clan Lord, "It won me the contest didn't it…"

"And how do you plan to win your next match…"

Before she could answer Than was roled by on a medical capsule causing them both to laugh, "I'll use my gauntlets of course…"

He hugged her, "I taught you well…"

Kaban was getting a rub down from his server droid, "I can finish that…" Amesca said walking up behind them.

"How are you my love…"

"I miss my children… has there been any word yet?"

"None… don't give up we will get them back…" He said trying to comfort her.

She walked around the table and stood in front of him, "I have a request…"

"You may ask anything of me you know that…"

She sighed and took a deep breath before continuing, "You may not like it… um… I'd like you to declare yourself king when you win this tournament…"

He smiled and was humbled at her confidence in him and at the same time offended by the fact she wanted him to throw aside his principles, "What makes you think I'll win especially if I have to face Ubann or Neila…"

She took another deep breath because of what she was about to say, "…I had a dream you won and it was no ordinary dream if you catch my meaning…" He stood up; visions in the force weren't uncommon among their people but to use them for self gain carried serious consequences. "If that is the case then I will withdraw from the tournament…"

"No please…" She cried grabbing him by his arms, "…Here my reasoning and then decide… If you are king and word spreads then that may cause Helcek and Ilisa to return home… you know how proud they are…"

He sighed, "This goes against my principles…"

"I know but you did say that Morban said you'd make a good King…"

He kissed her on the forehead, "I will consider it my love and that is all I can promise…"

The next morning the crowds gathered in anticipation for today's matches as a parade of clan members from each of the thirteen clans marched before the crowd and then some enforcers displayed their strength and speed in mock battles. Then the moment everyone had been waiting for came after Morban gave a speech the matches were posted on the large holo-viewer and the first match was between Ubann and Kaban.

"Don't hold back my friend…"

"I won't and neither should you…" Ubann replied before they walked in different directions in the tunnel that went around the arena so that the combatants could enter the arena from opposite sides.

A thunderous cheer went up when both Kaban and Ubann entered the arena; Kaban wore a black sparring jacket and white Kuntai pants. Kuntai was a hand to hand combat form similar to the hand to hand combat techniques of the Mandalorians. Ubann wore the same except his entire suit was red with a black sash at his waist; both men had studied under the legendary Quintall who invented the technique so the fight was going to be very good and long since both Ubann and Kaban had similar builds. The combatants took up their fighting stances Ubann used the krayt dragon technique while Kaban took the humming beetle stance.

Kaban made the first move which surprised Ubann then he quickly realized that Kaban was trying to set the pace of their fight. Kaban started with some strait punches and jabs then he switched styles to an aggressive form spider monkey then he switched to kicks and spin punches and the dancing flower technique.

The whole time Ubann was on the defense trying not to get hit, "Alright… my friend no more fooling around amateur night is over…" Ubann went on the offensive using counter punches and side kicks; he got inside Kaban's defense and elbowed him in the head then he swept his feet and tried to put him the sleep of Kun a submission move few people knew how to break, but like the master Kuntai artist he had become Kaban broke the hold and flipped Ubann over. "You've been practicing…" Ubann said jumping to his feet.

"And you've been holding back…"

Ubann smiled, "Forgive me my friend…"

They bowed to each other and took up fighting stances that had not been seen since the days of Quintall. The audience gasped and began clapping because they knew they were about to see a real fight. Amesca was sitting next to Ubann's wife Valar and they looked at each other when their husbands bowed.

Ubann and Kaban threw punches and the same time countering blocking sweeping and the combat seem to get faster and faster a punch was landed by Kaban; then a kick to the upper thigh was landed by Kaban. The match seem to go on and on with both sides inflicting pain on each other.

Then Kaban landed a series of blows that knocked the wind out of Ubann and he swept his legs from under him and placed his foot in his throat.

"I yield…" Ubann finally said.

Kaban helped him up as Morban declared Kaban the winner, "You… have a hard head…" Kaban said taking heavy breaths, "…I hope we never have to fight again…"

"Me too…" He replied limping to the back, where their wives were waiting.

The match between Kaban and Ubann lasted for an hour and two minutes. The next pair was Neila and NuTas who was disappointed at having to fight a woman, "Are you going to show off your body as well…" He asked, because she was wearing the same thing Caila wore yesterday.

Neila smiled, "That depends are you going to be as boring as my last opponent?"

He grunted and charged her with all his might, both were using shock weapons Neila armed with her staff and whip while NuTas used a curved sword. The two combatants opened up with a series of quick attacks to the face and body. In the first five minutes of battle Neila landed four hits in a row and she would have gotten a fifth except for the fact that NuTas rolled to the ground sticking his foot up and breaking her staff. She threw both pieces at him and uncoiled her whip which she caused more damage with. She disarmed NuTas and wrapped the whip around his neck shocking him until he passed out.

"The victor is Clan Lord Neila…" Morban cried raising her hand in victory.

"That was boring…" Neila said to NuTas as he was awakened by the medical droids.

From the right side of the arena Jothan emerged from the archway armed with his dual swords as usual and wearing the same garb he wore yesterday. From the opposite side of the arena Caila emerged wearing a brown leather one piece skirt and armed with her gauntlets her hair was tied into one large braid down her back and she wore a war crown with the symbol of her clan on it. Neither combatant said a word as they fought each other with both clan lords landing blows in the space of three minutes. What kept Caila in the game was the fact that her gauntlets went up to her elbows and she would grab Jothan's sword with her armored hand. The fight lasted another eleven minutes when Jothan broke Caila's arm at the elbow and whacked her across the head with the flat of his sword; Caila was out for hours and had to be hovered in a medical capsule out of the arena with her brother and niece at her side; Xail gave Jothan a venomous look.

Kaban was pacing back and forth in his tent as Amesca tried once again to convince him that he was going to win and that he should declare himself King.

"I… I just don't know what if this doesn't bring the children back then what…"

She closed her eyes, "I don't want to even think about it…"

They talked for another hour before Kaban lay his head down on the pillow and held his wife tight to comfort her.

The dark space, denizens of the unknown regions often referred to it as the black spot or the great hole. It was an area in space where there were no stars or light of any kind to be scene for thousands of light years and no one dared enter the void because one could get lost it was a type of dead zone where sound didn't exist either.

"I can't believe I listened to you…" Helcek yelled. "…There is nothing out here…"

"Will you be quiet and let me think…" The ship Ilisa had seen in her visions was gone.

"At least tell me why we are out here…"

"We are looking for a ship an alien ship…"

Helcek was getting angrier, "And why pray tell would a ship hide in the dark space…"

"That is obvious because it didn't want to be found…"

He pulled out a ration bar and began chewing, then he stopped and tried to find her ship, but instead of the ship what he found was a pair of ion trails leaving the dark space and a huge force signature unlike anything he ever felt. "Let's go…" He said.

"Where…"

"Out of here… you were right your ship was here and it left… how long ago I don't know, but who ever it was left a force impression big enough to make Morban and the entire order quake in their boots…"

"You sensed all that?" She asked amazed.

"Yes…"

Ilisa stretched out with her mind and felt the same things Helcek did, but then she felt something else, "Dam… seekers…"

"What are you sure?"

"Positive…"

Ilisa looped the ship around and brought her guns to bare on four mini-fighters coming out of hyper-space she targeted the first ship without the auto lock using her force senses only, because most of her scanning instruments were useless in the dark space.

"What the hell are doing…"

"Father sent them and those seekers won't give up until we are caught… so I am putting them out of there misery…"

She opened fire and the first ship silently vanished in a plume of fire; then Ilisa took down the second ship before the last two could react in time. The remaining fighters looped around and got in a dog fight with Ilisa, but Ilisa was no slouch when it came to flying and she was using the force to anticipate their moves. There was only one thing the fighters could do and that was to separate and make a run for it; whomever Ilisa chased would allow the second to get away.

"Dam… can you stop him…" she asked after vaping the first fighter.

"And how shall I do that…"

"Use the force grab his yoke smash his ion drive, but do something… we can't allow him to go back and tell the enforcers… you know that is where he will go first an then we will have them looking for us and that is trouble I don't want…"

Ilisa was right and the enforcers were better trained than the seekers, "I'll try…"

"Don't try make it happen…" She barked.

"Get me as close as possible… and I am going to need your help…"

Helcek had never attempted something like this before as he drew on his sister's strength as well in order to pinch the fuel line in his engines and after three minutes the ship exploded.

"We did it…" Ilisa cried, but her brother had passed out after having to concentrate for so long.

"You rest brother I will get us out of here…" Before leaving Ilisa opened her mind and tried to see into the future in order to get their bearings, but all she saw was a huge stellar space station in the lorin sector. She smiled and used the force to locate her hyperspace entry point and left the dark space.

It was the last day of the tournament and as the matching computer would have it Kaban and Jothan were the first two to fight and they agreed to use weapons. The match lasted twenty-six minutes with Kaban as the winner.

"What's wrong my friend you should be delighted…" Ubann asked in the armory when the match was over.

He looked at Ubann, "I think Jothan threw that macth…"

Ubann looked around the room and got a little closer so that no one could hear, "Are you certain…"

"I've fought master swordsmen before and he was pulling his attacks and letting me in his guard… and we've both seen him fight he is blade master…"

"But what purpose would there be in him throwing the match…"

"That is what we must find out…" Kaban looked at Ubann and decided to tell him, "…I've decided something and I want you to be…" He laughed, "…The second to know at least."

"What is it…"

"If I win… I'm going to declare us a monarchy…"

Ubann stared at him for so long Kaban thought he would have to slap him in order to snap him out of it, "What brought this on…" He finally asked.

"Several things and you are the first person to know this outside my family…" Kaban told him everything, about his children running away and his wife's vision, "…I am doing this because it could bring them back and it will give me the power to investigate the Kom clan for duplicity…"

"You are walking a dangerous line my friend… have you considered the fact that the reason your wife had that vision is because Jothan threw the fight…"

"Listen to you the force philosopher… but yes I have considered that which is why I want to do it and I could always relinquish the thrown when I finally have Jothan where I want him…"

The final match didn't happen until Kaban was fully rested from his last duel to which the combatants agreed to a weapons duel. Neila was dressed in a two piece armor with a breast plate and one armored sleeve. She wore an armored skirt that was all silver even the head ban she wore was silver. This time Neila was armed with a shock whip only; Kaban was armed with curved sword and a bladed gauntlet his chest and abdomen were armored and he wore leather leggings and thick boots. They approached each other and bowed and a thunderous applause went up as they faced off.

To keep Kaban at a distance she whirled her whip around and around and would sometimes crack the whip; all Kaban could do was duck and dodge, but when she flicked her whip this time it caught on his gauntlet. Kaban cut the whip with his sword and tried to close the distance but Neila struck him across the face which elicited a very heavy grunt. He berated himself because he should have wound the whip around his arm.

As the match wore on Kaban thought he could wear her down but she was fresh and hadn't done anything to demanding but hold him at bay. He tried rolling to the ground to catch her off guard, but Neila flicked her whip and caught him on the leg bringing him down. Kaban used that to wrap the whip around his leg which drew her closer to his sword, because he knew she wasn't about to give up the only weapon she had. When Neila got close she pushed something on the side of her whip handle and unsheathed a blade on the opposite end and with a war cry she lunged at him hoping to shock him in the gut, but Kaban rolled to the side.

"You are mine…" He barked hitting her on the back with the gauntlet and shocking her until she passed out.

A thunderous cheer went out as Morban raised Kaban's hand in victory, "I am glad it is you my friend…"

("You may not be after you hear my decision…") He thought to himself.

The arena was taken down and all the spectators returned to their clan cities as the clan lords gathered one last time to hear what Kaban would decide; three days had passed since the last match.

"My fellow clan lords… I have always been against the creation of a monarchy… but recent events have made me come to a new line of thinking… as it is by the power invested in me I declare our race a monarchy…" His announcement shocked his allies and delighted Jothan and his friends while others were confused and angry. "…I didn't come to this decision lightly… and I make it with a heavy heart… I name myself and my family royal heirs to the new Arquillian thrown…"

Some clapped while others who had been angry accepted it better especially since Kaban named himself King.

Two days after the announcement all the lords and ladies of each clan gathered together for Kaban's coronation which was to last an entire week; the week was filled with dancing and parades holo-vids from the tournament and food. At sundown on the last day of the week long celebration Kaban and Amesca were crowned King and Queen of all Arquillians; then Gervel was crowned prince of the royal house of Sathar.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8. The Long Journey

There was one person in the galaxy who had seen more worlds than anyone alive to date and that person was Revan. His journey began with the Jedi studying under Jedi Masters like Kreia and Aren Kae his rise to knighthood was a quick one because of his skill and power. Revan was a bright man very charismatic and a quick learner who studied the teachings of Jedi Master Pewan Ghi and the writings of Venderr; Revan was always increasing his knowledge and studies both outside and inside the confines of the Jedi order. He had befriended another young Jedi rising in the ranks of the Jedi order as quickly as he was and that man was Malak. Revan and Malak shared many of the same beliefs and views in their studies and Malak learned many things from Revan. Many worlds in the Republic owed their membership to Revan and Malak's diplomatic abilities and many civil wars were avoided because of the two Jedi. When the Mandelorians began attacking planets not in the Republic Revan warned the Senate that they were just building up territories and that the Republic should prepare for war but the senate opted to stay out of it; then as Revan predicted the Mandalorians launched a full campaign against the Republic and the Senate was caught off guard. The entire fleet was sent to drive the Mandalorians out but the steel hearted drive of the Mandalorian war machine could not be broken. Planets like Onderon, Catar, Surrico, and Echani fell quickly, the Republic military was completely outmatched in everyway at least until Revan intervened with the war.

Revan at the request of his old friend Senator Tomath went to the Jedi Council to request that they fight on behalf of the Republic but for reasons of their own the council decided to remain out of the conflict. In disbelief Revan convinced over sixty percent of the Jedi order to follow him and Malak into war against the Mandalorians without the consent of the council. The moment Revan took command the war started to turn in favor of the Republic, mainly because Revan was a master tactician in regards to war and strategy. His battle plans were bold and unique and eventually Revan was given his own fleet which comprised of over half the of Republic fleet. Along his journey Revan discovered the real cause of the war the sith and their hidden empire had convinced the Mandalorians to go to war with the Republic he also discovered the secrets of the hidden star forge. After the war Revan vanished with half the fleet he commanded and seventy percent of the Jedi that had followed him. Two years later Revan reappeared as Darth Revan and Malak was his apprentice Darth Malak and they began wagging a war against the Republic, but by this time another Jedi prodigy was quickly on the rise and her name was Bastilla. With her battle meditation the Republic lead Revan's fleet into a trap in order to capture both fallen Jedi.

Bastilla boldly lead a Jedi strike team on board Revan's flag ship and confronted the sith lord on the bridge, but Malak betrayed his now master hoping to kill him and the Jedi in the attack. Revan survived by some twist of faith and the efforts of Bastilla and with the Jedi council of Dantooine Revan was given a new identity and placed under Bastilla's command as a volunteer soldier in an attempt to use his memories in order to stop Malak and the sith. It worked and he trained under Jedi Master Zhar as a padawan and when he learned of his past Revan fought vigorously to change his image and correct the mistakes of the past and that is what he did when he defeated Malak and ventured into the unknown regions to put an end to the old sith empire which stretched across the mysterious region of the galaxy. Revan had been fighting for the past eight years and he was not alone; the exile had followed in his footsteps and joined him in his private war against the old sith empire; the two Jedi had cut a bloody path across several star systems and that path was being tracked by Darth Traya.

When Traya felt their presence she left Jothan and his political machinations in order to find and kill them both. Traya's journey took her from one star system to another and at present she walked the surface of Vior Nine a planetary weapons factory and ship yard for the sith.

"They were here… The two of them Revan and the Exile Kailen Star…" She spoke to herself as she walked through a huge force signature that belonged to both Revan and the Exile.

Traya searched the rubble and found the corpses of both dark siders and non-force users. Revan left nothing standing, centuries worth of technology and knowledge lost to the shattered mind of a once powerful sith lord and her former apprentice Kailen Star.

"You cannot hide forever Revan I shall find you… and when I do you will die by my hand…"

Traya returned to her shuttle and flew it back to the Inferno and the ship went to light speed and came out a day later in a system called Mobus; the inhabitants had been freed by the Exile.

"They've split up!" She declared.

"Begging your pardon my lady but why are we star hopping…"

She looked at Hykell annoyed at being questioned, but answered him anyway, "We… that is I am looking for Revan and the Exile…"

"And when we… I mean you find them…" Thanus asked boldly.

"I intend to kill them of course especially if they don't accept my offer…" She replied matter factly.

They jumped again and again until Traya told them she would be continuing on alone and to head for the lorin sector where they would find a huge space station called the aliens gate.

"Where are we?" Helcek asked waking up from his four day nap. The first person he had noticed was Ilisa sitting next to him.

"We are in the medical center inside the aliens gate…"

Helceck sat up as he noticed the old remodeled Rakatan droid attending to another patient. "Why would you come here?"

"The force led me here and here we will wait until our new master sends for us…"

"The force aside don't you think we can find somewhere safer to hide… by now the enforcers are tracking us…"

She sighed and was getting frustrated with her brother's complaining, "If you wish to leave when your strength recovers then by all means go, but here I stay…"

It took some meditation to sense what she was talking about and some major inner inspection and self counseling on his part, but Helceck agreed to stay.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Empire

The entire Arquillian race was gearing up for war and conquest of the unknown regions and beyond. Every clan put its project to use for the entire race as a whole the construction of cities and ships began and resources were gathered immediately; surveys and plans for the other twelve planets in the system were conducted and drawn out. A contingent of one hundred enforcers were assigned as royal guards to Kaban and his family; the Sathar clan crest became the official emblem for the new monarchy government and until the royal palace was complete Kaban's mansion would be used as the center of government.

Kaban met with his hand chosen war council in the ball room of his mansion which had been turned into a make shift war room. They stood before a holo-map of the surrounding star systems planning a war strategy, "This star system has technology and industry… over half the population is human the other half is Diphoran…" Ubann said who had been appointed as chief war council.

"The resources of the Diphor system are limitless and will fuel our war machine for ages to come…" Neila said speaking up. Neila had been appointed fleet admiral.

Kaban zoomed in on the star system with its four planets and twenty moons, "We can send our fighters and blockade runners to weaken any defenses they have and then move in our invasion forces… once we have control of the system we will relocate the Diphorans to a settlement camp… and we will use the humans as a work force and then make them citizens of the empire…"

Ubann looked at Kaban, "Empire… aren't we getting ahead of ourselves…"

They all laughed, "How soon before the fleet is ready…" He asked looking at Neila.

"The fleet will be ready as soon as Clan Lord Jothan reports his troop deployments to me…"

"If you haven't heard from him within the next twenty-four hours you have my permission to conscript his people…"

Kaban switched off the hologram and addressed his council wearing a diadem with the royal crest embedded on a jewel. He wore a silver armor with gold etched in the shoulder, chest, and arms. "I want to launch the fleet within the next two days and Admiral I need you to update that assault list and add the Forrines and the Ikarra to that list…"

"My lord what about Organth…"

He looked at Ubann, "Thank you I almost forgot…" He returned his attention to Neila, "…And add the Organth to your list as well …dismissed."

Everyone but Ubann left the ballroom and Kaban and Ubann enjoyed a drink of wine, "I was greatly disappointed when you declared us a monarchy, but when you declared yourself King… that disappointment quickly faded…"

He toasted Ubann, "Thank you for saying that my friend I don't think I could have done this without your support…"

Ubann waved him off, "Non-sense I think…"

Ubann was cut off as Queen Amesca entered with Head Priest Morban and Master Seeker Vaidell. Vaildell and Morban bowed to Kaban, "Your highness…" They said at the same time.

"What can I do for the two of you?" Kaban could see the worry on Amesca's face.

"The four seekers you hired to find your son and daughter are dead…" Vaildell said, "…I've asked the Head Priest to send his enforcers after them…"

"Is that necessary…" Ubann asked.

"I'm afraid so… I believe the seekers were killed by your offspring…" Morban said looking at Vaildell who explained what they found in the dark space…"

"The dark space…" Kaban said in dibelief, "…What in the galaxy could they possibly find in the dark space…"

"We don't know the seekers I sent there said they found six ion trails and a huge force signature…"

"Do you know who caused the force signature?" Amesca asked.

"I'm afraid not my lady…"

"Send your enforcers, but bring them back alive…"

"I'm sorry your majesty, but this falls under the jurisdiction of the force Priest order…" Morban said.

"There is no evidence of our children using the force…"

The master seeker interrupted, "Begging your pardon my lady, but my seekers checked your daughter's room before they left and found evidence of the force being used by both your children…"

Amesca gasped as Kaban took her in his arms, "Do what you must but may I request that you have them purged…"

Vaildell looked at Morban when he spoke, "Of course but…"

"I protest four of my people are dead…"

He returned the stare, "But… they will still be put on trial my friend I can't show favoritism…"

Amesca pushed off her husband and faced Morban, "…You of all people would sit in judgment of our children after all this clan has done for your order…" She was in tears.

"Amesca…" Kabann was ignored as she ran out of the ballroom.

"I'm sorry my friend the law is the law… you know I would do anything for your family…" Kaban was about to go after his wife. "…Wait when we catch them how about I suggest to the order council that they be exiled to wander…"

Kaban finally looked at him, "What ever you can do will be appreciated…" He said going after his wife. Amesca stood on the balcony sitting on a plush seat looking out over the city land scape towards the sea. Kaban came up and sat behind her he removed a clasp from her hair and watched it tumble down her back "Your beauty always did complement the sun set…"

She turned to face him with a tear stained face, he took his finger and wiped them "Hold me…"

"Tears are unbecoming the queen of all Arquillians…"

"Forgive me…"

"For what?" he asked whispering into her ear.

"I thought if you became king that our children would come running into our arms… I was wrong…"

"Well I can always denounce the thrown and declare us a council state…" He released her from the embrace and stared into her green eyes, "You listen to me we are going to take one day at a time together… me and you my love." They sat together on the balcony for the next three hours watching the sun set; then they went to their room and spent the night holding each other.

The Arquillian fleet launched on time the target was a system sixty parsecs from their own system. The Diphoran system was inhabited by the Diphorans who had allowed a group of human space travelers to settle on the planet on the northern continent. The Diphorans were a peaceful people ad resembled the Kaminoans with the exception of the fact that the Diphorans grew scales on their backs. They also had two sets of eyelids and their necks could stretch out to another eight feet in length. The Diphorans stood at fifteen feet already and had an uncanny understanding of technology, but they lived simple lives. The Diphorans were environmentalists and didn't believe in tearing up the ground they didn't even farm, they would go out into an orchard and eat the fruit of the trees and at different times of the years they would relocate to one of the other three planets in the system using their ships they kept hidden on one of the sixteen moons in the system.

The humans living on Diphor two referred to themselves as Corrils and they lived in their advanced city of Corrilus which the Diphorans helped them to build. Because of the positions of the moons it always seemed like it was night time on Diphor in fact it seemed like that on all the worlds in the system.

"All wings report in…" The fighter pilot general said into her head mike.

The voices of the Arquillian fighters filled the com system as they reported in one by one. The Arquillian fleet had micro-jumped to a distance some eight thousand kilometers outside the system and the fighters and blockade runners were sent in to weaken any defenses in place. Two telemetry satellites were destroyed along with a scout patrol of twenty-five ships as wave after wave of Arquillian fighters flew into the system.

"Kom leader come in…"

Each fighter division was named after a clan, "Kom leader here… go ahead Roth leader…"

Jasmine Roth daughter of Neila Roth and General of the fighter squadron led the attack, "Take your people to Diphoran four and do a sweep of the planet and surrounding moons… take Shyrone company with you as well…"

"Copy that Roth leader…"

Jasmine sent Orvax, Porv, and Veshlin units to the third planet and she sent Dersan, Vaneer, and Byth to the first planet. The rest followed her to the second planet where most of the fighting would take place.

A company of Diphorans were out grazing when they saw the skies fill with alien ships of a v shape design. They watched as some of the fighters flew over head in circle patterns while the rest flew towards the north where the great city lay. The Diphorans were pacifists so instead of preparing to fight a horn was sounded and the villages emptied to their underground lairs for safety.

The city of Corrolis was awakened to the sound of blaster fire and explosions as their city hangers and government buildings were targeted. The Arquillian fighters made dive bomb runs on militia buildings and arms factories as well. Jasmine led her command squadron of twelve fighters including herself as they engaged enemy fighters, she shot down nine fighters in the first twenty minutes of combat. The Arquillians also deployed their titan war droids into the battle; the titans were similar to the basilisk war droids of the Mandelorians, but unlike the basilisk the titan carried actual war droids with the exception of the pilot who flew the titan with his mind and hands via a control helmet that channeled his thoughts into the machine's computer.

It took total of five hours to take the system; one hour to bring down the city defenses and call in the invasion force, two hours for the troops to successfully secure the city and another two to blow holes in the underground grottos of the Diphorans.

General Jasmine Roth stood on her fighter watching Arquillian battle droids remove all the men ages thirteen and up from the city. Jasmine was a hard no non-sense woman like her mother, but she and her mother didn't always see eye to eye except when it came to things like how to win a battle.

"General…" A young man came running up to her fighter, "…General the Admiral wants to see you…"

Jasmine climbed back into the cockpit of her A-Roth double wing and took off towards the sky and into orbit where the flagship the Star of Roth was in orbit. The Arquillian fleet had a uniform ship design; all ships in the fleet were saucer shaped with the exception of the command ships which were half moon with a large fin in the center.

Admiral Neila Roth stood in her command office looking out over the dark green planet below. When the doors swooshed open she could see her daughter's reflection in the glass.

Jasmine stood at attention and cleared her throat, "You wanted to see me Admiral…"

"I did… how went the battle?"

"I wouldn't call it a battle ma'am… the defense force was a joke and their pilots lack skill…"

Neila grunted, "You will get some real fighting soon enough…" She turned to face her, "…I'm dividing the fleet into four groups… the first one is returning to the home system… the second will go the org system, you will be in command of that attack group… the third will be heading for Voi' and the forth which I will be commanding is heading for the Aliens Keep..."

Jasmine gasped, "The Aliens Keep… Is that wise… won't that anger the alliance…"

"Yes, but we have a plan in place… if my guess is right then the alliance will be gathering within the next five hours anyway…" Neila saw the expression on her daughter's face, "…You don't agree with the plan?"

"Soldiers obey orders it's not my place to question orders, but…" She hesitated, "…May I speak to you as a daughter to her mother."  
>Neila softened her expression and relaxed, "Yes go ahead…" "I believe you should have allowed me to represent the clan in the tournament…"<br>She walked around the desk and sat on the edge, "And you think you would have faired better than I against Kaban…" "Yes…"

"Maybe, but I am still clan lord something I do not take likely…"  
>"Father always said a clan lord places the needs of the clan above his or her own…" Jasmine flinched when she saw her mother's expression at the mention of her husband.<p>

"I know…" Neila replied in a sad voice, "…I wish he were here too… he was the only one who could keep the peace between us…"  
>"I know I can be a pain… and well perhaps it is time we buried the vibro-axe…"<br>Neila smiled, "I have always admired you my daughter, because you have a strength… and a strong mind; you're not afraid to speak your mind… You will make a great clan lord."

"I will have a tough act to follow…"

They hugged, "Okay you better get going… your assault force is assembling…"

Jasmine left the command office feeling better about their relationship and flew her fighter to the Kar-Guard which would serve as the flagship for her assault force and after another three hours the mother fleet divided into four smaller groups and jumped to light speed.

The Organth system was home to the Torgans a race of aliens that were as tall as wookies and wide as Gamorreans. The Torgans had a distinctive bone that went from their nose through the forehead and up out of the skull, they used it to head but each other in contests of strength. The Torgans were technologically intelligent and could take apart any ship, device, or advanced weapon in the galaxy. The Torgans lived simple lives like the Diphorans but were canivores and hunted their meat. The Torgans were hired thugs and muscle, a mercenary race that when given a blaster and armor turned them into living weapons. When the Alien Alliance found out they would hire the Torgans as a mercenary army. So the Torgans had to be taken out and Jasmine's fleet was given the assignment.

The star ships surrounded the planet and from orbit bombarded the surface of the planet, in the first volley hundreds of thousands died adults both male and female and children.

Jasmine stood on the bridge watching the fleet rain down turbo laser cannon fire on the defenseless Torgans, "This is slaughter… not a battle…" She said to herself.

"General… a fleet of Synotar war ships is coming out of hyperspace…"

"Put it on the main viewer…"

Hundreds of star ships appeared in normal space, battle cruisers, destroyers, war ships, and blockade runners and they took up an attack pattern as their fighters swarmed out to face the Arquillian armada head on.

"Fighters coming in…" An officer screamed on the bridge.

"Land all troops and have the fleet attack at range one point seven…"

"Begging your pardon ma'am, but command said not to land our troops on the planet surface…"

"I know and I accept full responsibility… now obey my orders…"

Jasmine had her troops land on the planet while the fleet began engaging the enemy fleet in orbit. The battle in the skies was intense as Jasmine's battle tactics both confused and baffled the enemy even though the Synotar outnumbered them. On the planet surface Jasmine ordered the transports to not to deploy troops against the Torgans because on the ground they would have been torn apart. Instead she had them fight from the air.

The battle lasted another two hours before the Synotars retreated unable to break the Arquillian lines; only twenty percent of the fleet had been lost, but more than forty-five percent of the fleet had been badly damaged. The fleet personnel let out a thunderous cheer as the last of the Synotar ships went to light speed.

"All ships stand down…" Jasmine ordered.

"Aye General sending stand down orders…"

"I will be in my office… commander have the transports form a line in front of the fleet and tend to the wounded… take care of the least damaged ships first… Crew the transports with droids…"

It took a half an hour to complete Jasmine's orders about the transports as the engineering droids made repairs to damaged star ships. Jasmine reported to fleet command about the results of the battle and told them she would need haulers to remove the damaged ships from the orbit of Or.

The Alien's Keep:

The Alien's Keep was a massive space station where the members of the Alien's Alliance meet together; the alliance had been formed by a Twi'lek sith apprentice named Dubass Shano who was apprenticed to the sith emperor. The gathered members were from all over the unknown regions aliens representing races like the Synotar a one eyed reptilian race, the Krogan, and even the Yuuzhan Vong. Presiding over the gathering was Lo'tann Fe of the J'Shanii race. The J'Shanii were the most respected and influential aliens in the unknown regions; the J'Shanii were a diminutive race of aliens with large ears and huge bulgy eyes like an insect; they kept their carapace covered bodies hidden under huge black and red cloaks and they wore huge gold chains with medallions on the end of them.

Lo'tann stood on a hovering platform addressing over fifty aliens in the auditorium and eight humans representing their governments as well. ["My friends war is upon us again… this time from the Arquillians… we must fight!"] A thunderous applause went up as Supreme Overlord Hyntarg Poi of the Yuunzhang Vong stood up.

At this moment in time the Yuuzhan Vong were a peaceful force sensitive race who believed that pain was the true expression of life, ["War serves no purpose… to anyone only by diplomacy can one solve out the issues of life…] As he spoke he was booed and hackled.

["Let him speak…"] Supreme Clan Chief of the Gunjaghi said, ["Order lets show some respect…"] His name was Kutarr.

It grew quiet, ["Did your war against the Killiks accomplish anything… No they still exist and bread…"] Hyntarg looked at everyone in the assembly as a Synotar soldier walked across the floor and whispered in the ear of the Prime Minister. ["I call to remembrance the Rakatan Empire… it fell in on itself… no one race or group of races could destroy them… and so it will be with the Arquillians…"]

The Synotar Prime Minister Xar'tu Olk stood, ["How long must we listen to this… Yuuzhan Vong drivel?"] A wave of shock fell over the members of the alliance, ["Every conflict that arises in the quadrant you Vong take your living world and relocate… I don't even know why your people are apart of this alliance…"]

Everyone in the auditorium was offended and was in great expectation to see how the supreme overlord would respond, ["Wonder no longer Olk… the Yuuzhan Vong withdraws from the alliance…"]

As Hyntarg and his advisors left the auditorium Lo'tann and Kutarr were pleading for him to return, ["Forget him and his pacifist race… I have news… this day of days Synotar blood has been spilled trying to defend the Organth star system… our troops fought bravely, but they could not over come the Arquillian monster…"]

The assembly took the news badly and decided to vote on the issue of whether or not to go to war, but little did they know that the Arquillian fleet was on the way. The space station was over the allied world of Rivao three, Rivao was unique in that its surface and strange atmosphere reflected all light to give the planet a reddish hue; its moon was blue because of the crystal core that shimmered in certain spots on the surface of the moon. The space station itself was one quarter the size of the moon which was _ in circumference. While the council of allies debated the situation the Arquillian fleet was positioned near and asteroid field that revolved around the sun like the other seven planets in orbit around the yellow star.

Admiral Neila Roth paced back and forth on the bridge of the flag ship, her mind was on her daughter who was still trapped in the Organth system until tow ships could be sent to recover damaged ships, because if the Torgans got their hands on any kind tech they would turn it into a weapon for revenge. "Time…" She asked in aggravation.

"Twenty minutes admiral…" The com officer answered, "Ma'am I just received a transmission the space walk team is there and they have begun planting the bombs…"

Instead of attacking the station directly Neila sent a team of one hundred space walkers and a hundred androids to plant bombs on the hall of the space station. The space walkers flew across three thousand feet of open space to reach their target and once on the surface they began planting the bombs on the gravity projectors that held the station in orbit, bombs were planted near docking bays and air vents. As one man and an android planted a bomb a grotesque ship of the Yuuzhan Vong left one of the hangers. The living ship was covered by coral and had two dovan basals propelling the ship through space. When the ship was out of sight he returned to his mission; once the bombs were planted the space walkers were to fly out and when they were a safe distance from the space station the bombs were detonated.

"Admiral the bombs have been detonated…"

"Ahead full power…" Neila ordered and the fleet broke cover and followed her command ship to the now crippled space station.

As the fleet approached the station the explosions could be seen as a few escape pods shot out from the plummeting station. To insure there were no survivors Neila ordered the fleet to fire on the station and the combined fire power of the fleet finished off the space station in a matter of moments.

With the station destroyed Neila turned her attention to the planet itself and ordered the fleet to fire from orbit.

"Have the space walkers been picked up…" she asked.

"Yes Admiral…" As soon as the com officer answered Neila he received a transmission, "…Admiral the Organth assault force has been assisted and is returning to the home world now."

Pleased Neila could stop worrying about her daughter and focus on the task at hand and that was finishing off the planet. It took three hours to properly level the entire surface of the planet and to destroy all communications dishes on the planet and when the fleet finished it made the jump to light speed.

The Gunjar System:

The Gunjaghi were a reptilian race standing at eight feet tall with pointed heads and mouth. The Gunjaghi was a male dominated society and it was consider an insult in their culture for females to do anything outside the home. Like the Arquillians the Gunjaghi was a clan based society ruled by a supreme clan chief who held court with the twenty-four clan lords of his domain. The Gunjar system had thirteen planets all capable of supporting life and all technologically advanced. At present the clan fleets were assembling to go to war with the Arquillians while Kutarr's son Ghanoc was crowned Supreme Clan Chief.

When the coronation was over the gathered clan lords and nobles slammed their tales on the floor out of respect. ["My father is dead, but he will not have died in vain for we will fight… we will fight to defend our star system …we will fight to help our allies and we will fight to avenge the dead."] a thunderous cheer accompanied by the hammering of tails on the floor filled the air.

The gathering place was a fixed place in open space where the allied forces combined their fleets for war and star ships from all over the quadrant had come to fight. Unknown to the gathering allies was the fact that they were being observed by an Arquillian probe droid.

Commanding the allied fleet was Mi'vok Cas a J'Shii and he had been given the title supreme commander. Cas stood a foot taller than others of his diminutive race he wore a battle armor that was red and black and hovered on the command deck of his personal super destroyer the J'Shar which was named after his home world.

["Have the Synator arrived yet?"] He asked his second in command in his clicking language.

Admiral Tarphoon was a Hydron an aquatic race that had a transparent skin that showed their internal structure. His antennae wiggled as he answered through his water filled mask that covered his mouth and was fed sea water from a tank on his back. "No sir they haven't arrived nor have they responded to my inquiries as to the mobilization of their fleet…" Hydronians had their own language but preferred basic. They only spoke their native language on their home world.

["Well I won't wait much longer…"] The entire bridge looked at the supreme commander when he said that.

Arquillian Fleet:

"Admiral the fleet is in position…"

"Have our fleet perform battle formation epsilon and when everyone is in position make the jump to light speed…"

It took the Arquillian fleet nineteen minutes to get into battle formation and when they were done the entire fleet went to light speed. Three hours later the fleet came out of hyperspace and at attack speed they attacked the allied fleet.

["Sir the Arquillian fleet is coming out of hyperspace in sector nine…"] The Noywon science officer said.

["They must have a death wish let's grant it… all transports to the rear! All droid ships full attack…"] Cas yelled barking orders to the fleet via com link.

The allies out numbered the Arquillians two to one as the first volley was fired from both fleets three droid warships were heavily damaged and fifteen droid fighters were lost. The Arquillians lost twenty-two fighters both droid and human piloted and two droid cruisers suffered major damage and a warship was completely destroyed.

"Admiral the main fleet is going into battle posture… they aren't committing the entire fleet to battle…" The tactical officer said.

"We'll have to give them a reason too won't we? General orders to all ships full attack… and patch me in to General Roth…"

"General Jasmine Roth here… go ahead admiral."

An emotion of pride swelled up in Neila because of her daughters accomplishments and at the same time just a hint of fear sending her daughter into battle; "General you will lead the fighter assault I want the flagship taken down… Take down all the command ships…"

"Copy that Admiral…" Jasmine looped her fighter around the flagship with her command squadron and flew out towards the head of the fleet. "Vaneer group cover the android cruisers… Roth, Kom, and Sathor form on my six and remain in attack formation…"

"Boss… we flying into the belly of the beast…" Her second in command asked after the pilots confirmed their orders.

"Hell yeah…" Jasmine's response was. She lead her fighter groups into the hail of blaster fire coming at them, "Keep it tight people… dump everything but life support and weapons into your front shields… lets show them why we are Arquillians…"

With the droid assault force Jasmine's fighters were able to break through the front line ships as the Vaneer group and the Arquillian battle droids overwhelmed the allied battle droids.

"We've got fighters…" Someone yelled over the com.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Jasmine screamed into her head mike.

The assault force broke formation just as the allied fighters reached them, "General you have an entire squadron on your tail…" A pilot from Kom group yelled, "…Break left I will cover for you…"

Jasmine went into a tight loop with the fighters on her tail, "Negative on that turn to point seven nine point six…"

"But General…" He objected.

"Just do it and when I tell you bank left in a half figure eight…" She could hear the pilot smiling over the com.

"Yes ma'am…" He joyfully replied.

Jasmine and the pilot finished their maneuvers and came strait towards each other and when the ship banked they did it just as the pursuing fighters opened fire; they destroyed each other. The Arquillians destroyed the alliance fighters seven to three despite being outnumbered.

"General that flagship is still in one peace…" Neila said over the com.

She smiled, "Admiral the flagship will be down in less than… fifteen minutes…" She switched back over to her squadron channel, "…alright listen up …all Koms keep our friends busy. All Roths and Sathors make a break for the main fleet any ships unable to fight pull back now…"

Bridge of the Star of J'Shanar:

"Sir I have analyzed the attack patterns of the enemy… there is no logic to it… the Arquillians keep throwing their ships at us even though they are out numbered…" The human tactical officer said.

Cas hovered over to the main view screen the allies were outlined in blue the enemy was outlined in yellow as a standing joke to call them cowards. ["Oh there is a logic to it… the Arquillians want us to commit the entire fleet to battle…."

Tarphoon joined him, "Its madness our scout ships say they have no reserve forces within twelve hundred light years…"

"Sir… enemy fighters have broken through the frontlines and the droid units are being overwhelmed…" The tactical officer shouted.

Cas and Tarphoon looked at each other, ["So much for not getting our noses bloody…"]

Cas sighed, ["Send in delta group and forward on all battle cruisers and warships…"] He looked at Tarphoon again. ["Lets see how crazy the Arquillians are…"]

In the first wave Jasmine lost one hundred and ten fighters and with three assault groups she plowed her way towards the main fleet and the flagship.

"General this is Learo…"

She smiled, "You still alive Learo…"

"Of course… an attack group made up of battle cruisers, warships, and more fighters than I'd care to count is heading right at us."

"I see that… alright people it's time to fly dump all your reserve power into your shields and prepare yourselves to push your abilities to the extreme… Whoever makes it go for the bridge I'll take care of the shield dish…"

"What do we do after that…" Learo asked.

"When I get to that part I will tell you…"

In the volley that came fifty-seven fighters were lost and another nineteen were badly damaged causing the pilots to eject. When the other fighters realized what they were doing the Arquillians had reached the main fleet dodging anti fighter cannons and enemy fighters.

"Jazz come in…"

"You know I hate that name… and it's General Jasmine…"

"Sorry General Jazz, but you have a squadron of six fighters on your six…"

"Tell me something I don't know…" Jasmine switched on her right breaking jets and switched off her right ion thrusters and went into a horizontal three hundred and sixty degree spin twirling like a top; then she pressed the trigger firing her turbo lasers. She vaporized all six fighters trailing her and three more that crossed her line of fire.

"Are you alright general?"

"I'm fine let's take down that flagship…"

Jasmine took out the shield dish as she said and a pilot from Roth group and another from Sathar blew up the bridge of the Star of J'Shanar and to finish her off Leaor fired two missiles into the ion thrusters blowing up the ship.

The destruction of the flagship angered the allies into committing the entire fleet to battle; with the destruction of the J'Shanar the starship Yadass became the command ship with General Fearron a human taking command, but his command only lasted for thirty minutes when Jasmine and Learo blew the ship up with the help of fifty fighters.

Bridge of the Star of Roth:

"Well they've committed their entire fleet to battle…" Neila said walking over to the com station, "Send the signal now…" She ordered.

The signal transmitted by the Roth was a signal for the Synotar; the attack on Jasmine's assault force was a ruse and the Synotar were actually in a secret alliance with the Arquillians. The attack was done by droids and Olk's death was a farce it was actually a clone that died on the space station.

["General… the Synotar fleet is coming out of hyperspace on our flank."]

["Good with there help we can overwhelm the Arquillians…"] Daxar was a J'Shanii and it was he who had taken command of the fleet.

["But sir they just fired on our transports…"]

["Those dirty no good one eyed lizards…"] Daxar had a few other choice words to say as he tried to reorganize the battle since the Synotar betrayed them.

As time went on the allied fleet began to fall apart; sandwiched in by both the Arquillians and the Synotar. Within a matter of hours the alliance began to retreat, but the fleets of the Arquillians and Synotar chased the ships as they tried to get away. When the battle was over eighty percent of the allied fleet had been lost and Neila ordered her ships to destroy the damaged vesels. The Arquillian wars had begun and the alliance was in disarray after so many government leaders were lost at the Aliens Keep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Revan's Last Stand

As the Arquillian war was just getting started the war of Revan was just ending; Revan had left the core worlds and come to the Unknown Regions to destroy the old Sith Empire and it's emperor. Revans quest had taken him from one end of the quadrant to the other and in his wake he left a path of destruction unlike any in the galaxy.

Revan's war against the sith involved tricking the allies into war and destroying sith thrown worlds and using the force to influence the outcome of that battle. Sometimes he would physically get involved with a battle or two or spy for the allies and send them information critical to winning a battle against sith. Eight long years of fighting from system to system and it was finally over. Before Revan and Malak fell it was believed that the sith emperor died at their hands, but it was the emperor's apprentice who fell to Revan and Malak's light sabers. After Revan killed Malak more of his memories started to return and he decided to go on his quest; it hurt to leave his friends behind and it would have hurt even more if he had brought Bastilla with him and she had died. He told her he would return and soon he would be able to keep that promise, because the sith emperor lay dead at his feet. Revan took the curved handled light saber from his dead cold hand and when he did his body began to fade. Revan was six feet two inches tall with a scar crossing his right eye; his hair was cut short to his head and he had a strong, but oblong face. He wielded two light sabers and wore a blue tunic and pants under a white Jedi Masters robe; his boots were black and blue.

Revan took an hour to search the sith fortress for survivors or holocrons and if he found any holocrons he destroyed them as for survivors Revan found about seven sithlings he put them to sleep after killing the Sith Master protecting them and put them in a ship that would take them to the core. The jedi council could probably retrain them as jedi.

It took Revan three hours to search the fortress and when he was done Revan destroyed it with the force, "Finally…" He said watching the fortress crumble in on itself. "I can…" Revan stopped in mid sentence as something from his past returned to his mind. ("Holocrons…") He thought, it was the holocrons he destroyed that brought the memory up. ("But what about them…") Then it clicked and he wanted to laugh, for Revan remembered he had created a holocron as Darth Revan and hid it on the Rakata home world.

"Well it looks like I have one more adventure before I return to the core…" He said out loud.

Revan got down on both knees and called out in the force to Bastilla who was in meditation; he could feel her joy at the touch of his mind to her. They enveloped each other in their love for one another and merged their identities as one. They had been linked ever since she saved his life aboard the flag ship when he was a sith lord and then had the council reprogramed him. He reassured her that he would be returning soon and that he loved her, but their moment was interrupted by a dark presence heading towards Revan a presence that felt both odd and familiar at the same time.

("I will be fine…") He said across their link.

A Telosian long range shuttle streaked across the sky and dove towards Revan; it zoomed low overhead kicking up dust and wind causing Revan's robes to blow open. The ship circled over head three times before it landed about twenty feet from Revan; he braced himself as a woman dressed in the robes of a sith lord walked down the ramp. She had a terrifying beauty with her grayish looking skin and red lips and despite the heavy robes Revan could tell she had dancers body. As she walked towards Revan the woman removed her robe and let it fall to the ground; when Revan saw her face he gasped for it was Atris but her hair had gone dark.

"Atris… is that you?"

She laughed, "Atris is no more… I am Darth Traya…"

"I once knew a woman by the name of Kreia… she was my master or at least one of them and it was she who became Darth Traya… You are no Darth Traya." Revan removed his robe and unhooked both light sabers.

"There must always be a Darth Traya…" She replied removing her light saber from her belt. "…But why fight when we can help each other? Become my apprentice and know the true nature of the force…"

"I know the force and the dark side…" He started walking towards her. "…And you Atris have chosen the dark." He called her Atris to anger her and throw her off, but she didn't respond like he expected her too.

"Fool you are blind and you will die in your blindness…"

She threw out her left hand unleashing a storm of force lightening; Revan caught it with his hands and threw it back, but she teleported in a bright red flash and reappeared behind him. She swung her blade but Revan ducked and ignited his sabers and the duel began. Revan would alternate fighting styles blocking with his right and left switching or doubling up. Traya switched between the first two levels of saber fighting toying with him because of the memories she inherited from the previous Traya she was able to anticipate some of his moves.

Insulted Revan attacked with the full might of his saber knowledge, but Traya responded with switching in between all seven forms and added a couple of moves from the lost art of the Taunzhi technique that had been invented by Marko Ragnos. Traya moved so fast that she was casting multiple shadows of herself, but Revan was able to keep up with the real time Traya.

Traya jumped up and did a back flip, "You are holding back…" She angrily said when she landed.

He raised an eyebrow, "So are you.." He replied pointing his left saber at her, "I didn't think there was anyone alive who knew the Taunzhi technique much less how to execute it properly…"

They circled one another and as they did they got closer, "Well I hope you are ready to die…"

"To die I would become one with the force…"

Traya laughed and opened up with series of high and low quick attacks, while Revan blocked with his left and attacked with his right. He started matching Traya blow for blow and started making shadows of his own. Traya pinned his left sword to the ground and did a back cartwheel to avoid the right sword. She arched backwards sticking her own blade into the ground and came up with a force punch to the chest. The blow sent Revan flying back shattering his force barrier Revan flew eight feet knocking the wind out of him; Traya leapt at him with her red energy blade thrust out, but Revan stretched out his had and caught the energy blade with his gloved hand and stabbed at Traya with his right. Traya turned to the side and kicked Revan in the ribs; he released her blade spun around on his back sticking his feet up and kicked her under the chin. As Traya fell back with a thump Revan jumped to his feet groaning because his left lung had been punctured by Traya's force punch and from the kick he received three broken ribs. Traya was a sith lord and the broken jaw only fueled her power; pain was apart of life and those who didn't know how to use it and turn it to an advantage was weak. She charged Revan again, but by the time she reached him he had already healed his lung and was working on his second rib. Without breaking his concentration Revan blocked her attacks going into a defensive posture until his ribs could be healed; Traya managed to rend his left saber from his hand and was about to stab Revan again, but he stuck the palm of his hand out again and pushed the energy blade of her saber back into the shaft shattering it and throwing Traya back five feet. As Traya flew threw the air she pointed her left had at the weapon she knocked from Revan's hand and disabled it with force lightening.

Revan stood up and unleashed a force wave that shuck the entire planet and tore up the ground, the wave ripped boulders up and kicked up a dust cloud. When the dust settled Revan was in shock because Traya's body was transparent the force wave went right through her body. She reached to her belt and uncoiled her light whip, the crackling red whip hissed as it dragged on the ground. Revan removed the curved light saber of the sith emperor and ignited it; they charged each other at the same time, but Traya kept Revan at a distance cracking the whip at his right hip. He blocked the attack with his right and tried to attack her with his left, but with the light whip Traya could attack and defend herself at the same time. No matter what Revan did he couldn't get close enough. Until Traya wrapped her whip around both of Revan's energy blades he twined the energy covered metal whip around his sabers until he was two feet from her then he switched off the sith blade that usually required two hands to properly wield, but for Revan it was no problem. When his weapon was free he ignited it again and swung at Traya but she stepped inside of his reach and elbowed him in the side of the head; she spun again and punched him in the back. With a grunt Revan head butt her in the face and swept her feet from under her then he drove his foot into her knee breaking it. Traya reveled in the pain and popped her knee back into place; she kicked Revan in the groin and unwrapped the whip from around his saber. As Revan tried to role out of the way she struck two large marks across his chest and a third on his leg. The time went from minutes and on into hours Traya was relentless while Revan's concentration started to fade. He overcame an empire of sith defeated Malak and brought down the Mandelorian empire but this one sith was wearing him down little by little.

Traya saw the weariness in Revan and with a flick of her wrist she disarmed him leaving the blue blade in his hand. Summoning the last of his strength Revan encased her in a stasis field of force energy to immobilize her then he went in for the kill; a fatal mistake on his part especially since Traya was faking; at the last possible minute she unleashed her true power and shattered the field and with a dive and flick of her hand she landed the fatal blow across the neck. Revan hit the ground with a sickening thud as his body imploded; a beam of pure blue light streamed from Revan's body into the sky transforming that dark sith thrown world into a beacon of light.

Traya fell to her knees weary because she and Revan had been fighting for over four hours strait. Traya took a deep breath and went into a healing/meditation trance; now normally a sith lord would not imply such a technique, but Traya was no ordinary sith she believed the force was the force and to put the limitations on it that the sith and Jedi did was a weakness and no one abhorred weakness more than the sith. Within minutes she was healed and her force energy restored.

"Hmm Revan…" She mocked out loud. As she stood up Traya could feel Bastilla's sorrow and pain. Revan was everything to her and she had taken that from her and that was a sweet revenge she would relish. Traya gloated in the force as she felt the shock of every Jedi in the galaxy over and over again.

After taunting Bastilla in the force she stood up and went to the sith fortress but found nothing in the ruins. Then Traya began the dubious search for Revan's ship and found it using the force to override the security system. She found nothing but ten light sabers that had belonged to the sith lords of the empire. One was a double edge light saber that was curved with a black and silver handle; she also discovered another exotic weapon that was longer than a normal light saber and shorter than a double edge saber. Out of one end came an energy blade and out of the other side a light whip uncoiled.

"Interesting weapon…" She said. "…I might keep you."

She decided to keep all the weapons and down loaded the navigation charts of Revan's ship; after loading her booty on board her ship she blew up Revan's ship and gasped as her second quarry entered the sith system; the presence she felt was none other than that of the exile.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11. The Footsteps of the Exile

Kailen Star or the Exile as he was often referred to as followed Revan to war like many other Jedi and when Revan fell he walked away. Kailen had lost his connection to the force after he and Bao Durr activated the mass shadow generator on Malachor V killing hundreds of thousands of Mandalorians and Republic forces. After the war Kailen returned to Coruscant hoping the Jedi Council could restore what he had lost, but the council summoned him to judge him for his actions. The meeting ended with the council sending Kailen into exile and he stabbing his light saber into the stone that sat in the center of the council room. Kailen traveled the galaxy preferring the solitude of his travels. After a time Kailen met up with Kreia and it was she who helped him regain his connection with the force. Eventually Kreia resumed her title as Darth Traya and used Kailen to destroy Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus. Kailen and Traya fought a terrible duel in the cave beneath the Trayus academy and it was Kailen who stood victorious. Kailen helped Bastilla Shan and the old and new members of the Ebon Hawk restart the Jedi council and then he left to follow in Revan's foot steps; after three years of searching Kailen found Revan and the two immediately became friends. Over the next five years Kailen helped Revan bring down the sith empire and in the fifth year of their journey they split up in order to put an end to the old sith empire once and for all.

Kailen was flying a long range star ship of Corellian design; he had come out of hyperspace and was flying towards the sith thrown world.

"What the…" Kailen felt light a peaceful light instead of a dark sith world. It was as if Revan had somehow cleansed the entire planet of the dark side. "Dam Revan you are strong…" He switched on his com. "…Revan old buddy, are you there…" All he got back was static. He scanned the surface of the planet and found the wreckage of a ship and no life signs. "What's wrong with this thing…" He asked hitting it. Kailen took a deep breath and stretched out with his mind and found someone who wasn't Revan a woman familiar to him in many ways. Then he opened his eyes and realized what he was sensing about the planet it was as if the planet had become Revan. "It can't be…" He said returning his attention to the woman, but Revan was dead and the woman whoever she is was responsible for it.

He kicked up the boosters and flew to the planet not caring about vectors or wind patterns as he dove through the atmosphere. He looped around and landed fifteen feet from the woman and jumped out of his seat removing his robe and lowering the ramp.

When Kailen was three feet from the woman he was shocked and it showed on his face, "You should have killed me when you had the chance…" Traya said.

"Atris… You… you killed Revan…" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course I did…"

"Why… you had a chance to cleanse yourself of the dark side and walk as a Jedi Master again…"

She laughed, "I found a new path as Darth Traya… I possess a knowledge and power beyond any sith or Jedi alive… and if you become my apprentice I will share that knowledge with you…" He folded his arms across his chest, "…I can teach you things Kreia never even dreamed of…"

"Thanks but no thanks…" Kailen fell silent as what she had said finally clicked, "…Darth Traya Ha …What Atris you couldn't find your own sith name?"

She smiled, "There must always be a Darth Traya…"

Kailen unfolded his arms because those exact same words were used by Kreia when she reclaimed her title. "I see…" He said unhooking his light saber from his belt.

"I doubt that…"

"Oh try this then Kreia appeared to you as a force ghost and she and you merged your essence together to form a new person and while Atris is there… small traces of Kreia can be seen in the attitude and way you carry yourself… plus I can feel her foul presence all over you…" He started walking towards her.

Traya started clapping, "Very good you will make a fine apprentice…"

He was a half a foot from her now. "I already told you… I'm not going to become your apprentice…"

"Then die like Revan fool!"

She threw out her hands and unleashed force lightening on Kailen who blocked it with his hands. The strength behind her force attack was incredible as he was pushed across the ground gritting his teeth because he could no longer hold it. Kailen leapt into the air and landed next to Traya he swung for head but she ducked, stepped to the side, spun around, rolled to the ground, and leaned back avoiding all of his attacks. Kailen leapt forward and swung for her right shoulder, but Traya caught the energy blade with her bare hand, but unlike Revan she absorbed the sabers energy blade and smiled at Kailen. He jumped into the air and threw two force balls at Traya who deflected them with wave of her hand. When Kailen landed he ignited his light saber again which had a white blade and a silver and black handle.

He watched as Traya unhooked her light saber from her belt which was longer than a normal light saber and shorter than a double edge. Traya had decided to keep the exotic weapon a light saber whip; she ignited the sword end in order to draw him in close so she cloud end this fight quickly.

She charged him at full force speed, but he flipped over her head twisting in the air so he would be facing her when he landed and swung. Traya moved so fast that she could hardly be tracked with the eye; she blocked the attack and countered; they struggled back and forth in a whirlwind of buzzing crackling saber moves. Traya combined strength with speed as she struck blow after blow; her attacks rattled Kailen's entire body, but he held his own twisting and spinning his light saber in a flurry of attacks that would shake two sith lords. They both switched in between light saber techniques flowing from one style to another; that was until they slammed their blades into one another and struggled back and forth. They both used their free hands and used the force to push against one another, but Traya was stronger and Kailen was thrown over seven feet and hit a bolder. Traya jumped at him and put a long scratch in the rock; Kailen had ducked and tried to cut her legs from under her but Traya blocked twirled his light saber and wrenched the weapon from his hand. Kailen leapt for his weapon because Traya was holding it down in the force and when he leapt she switched off her saber and uncoiled the whip at the other end. She snapped the whip at his legs cutting them off; when he hit the ground she called his light saber to her hand. Kailen's right leg had been severed off three inches under the knee and his left leg had been severed off at the knee, because off the way she struck the whip.

The ground crunched as Traya walked towards the man she once admired as Atris, as she approached he turned over with beads of sweet rolling down his face and his teeth were clinched.

"Interesting weapon…" He said between chattering teeth.

"I like it…" She replied holding it up to admire it.

He used the force to dull the pain, "It took me and Revan to defeat the owner, but it was Revan who delivered the final blow…" He looked at the weapon still in her hand. "…So finish it."

Her facial expression softened and her anger calmed which surprised him, "…I don't have to finish you …join me let me show what the force is truly about."

"There is nothing you can show me… I have seen many great and terrible things in the galaxy. So finish it…"

She was a little sad all the memories she had of Kailen, but only a little. She raised her hand as her anger returned and bought the whip down and finished him with a resounding crack of the whip. Traya watched as his body imploded and unlike Revan's body Kailen's body exploded in a force wave that engulfed half the planet; when it ended all that was left was his clothes. Traya didn't waist any time she immediately unlocked Kailen's ship and as with Revan's ship all she found was light sabers eight in all. She found two light whips, a pair of dual light sabers, three double blades and two normal light sabers except one of the light sabers had an energy blade that could extend and retract to any length. Traya collected the weapons and down loaded the navigation computer and then she blew up the ship. Upon returning to her ship Traya contacted the Inferno and told them to meet her near the tithuss cluster. She took off making a surface run across the planet using her ship scanners and the force to locate any sith tombs or weapons caches but found nothing. Traya circled the planet four times always using the Sith fortress as a starting point heading North to South, then she flew east to west, then north east to south west and finally she flew north west to south east. When Traya reached the fortress the last time she climbed into the sky crossing over into the vacuum of space and made her jump to light speed. When Traya returned to the Inferno she contacted Jothan and told him where to meet her and the Inferno and as soon as he came aboard the ship his training began.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12. Bastilla's Sorrow

The deaths of Revan and the Exile could be felt throughout the Jedi order from the younglings to the Jedi Masters. Kailen Star because it was he who reorganized the Jedi brought in Masters like Bao Durr, Atton Rand, Brianna, and Mia Shale; he had also defeated the sith lords Nihilus, Sion, and Traya. Revan because he had destroyed Darth Malak and brought both sith empires to its knees and now they were dead.

No one took Revan's death harder than Bastilla; she had been in solitude for the past three days mourning his death with bitter tears. Bastilla believed in letting go of bad emotions instead of keeping them inside, so she cried and cried and when her emotions were spent she began meditating. She had gone without food for the past three days and on the forth day she calmed herself through meditation and was starting to feel like herself again.

She was diving into her memories when a chime came at the door; she smiled sensing her apprentice Korren Boone.

Bastilla grabbed her robe and opened the door, "Master… how are you?" Korren asked entering the room.

"Not as good as I'd like to be…"

"I came to… actually I was sent by Master Durr, because Master Lazz has called a meeting of the council…" Bastilla tried to leave, but Korren blocked her path, "…Forgive me master, but did you love him?"

She smiled, "Yes I did and now he is one with the force… and I love him the more…"

"But the code teaches us…"

She stopped him by raising her hand, "Yes the code teaches us to avoid emotional attachments because they lead to jealousy, hatred, anger, and that leads to the dark side, but with all the bad things that come with love there are many more good things that far outweigh the bad and I hold on to those things in my love for Revan…"

He let her pass and followed her to the turbo-lift thinking about what she said, "Is that wise… I mean we are taught discipline in order to control our emotions…"

She stopped in front of the turbo-lift, "I've been neglecting your teaching and I apologize… when I traveled with Revan he taught me how to express myself without losing control… it was another way of maintaining my discipline…" She got on the turbo-lift, "…We'll discuss this later."

When Bastilla entered the council chambers everyone was already waiting; the masters watched her closely trying to guess her emotional state, but they felt nothing. She took her seat and looked directly at Lazz, "Master Lazz you called this meeting the floor is yours…"

Surprised Lazz cleared his throat, "We have all felt the deaths of Revan and Kailen Star… and since Atris is missing and there are no other sith lords in the galaxy we must assume they died at Atris' hand…"

It was Mia Shale who made the first comment, "Atris is strong in the force, but to kill both Revan and Kailen Star… I can't believe. She must have had help… an apprentice or something."

Bao Durr cleared his throat, "I feel I must speak up… I am about to reveal something to you that I swore never to reveal, but since the General is dead…" Bao Durr often referred to Kailen Star as the General because he served under his command in the Mandalorian wars. "…The General told me that a Sith empire existed an ancient one deep in the unknown regions and that Revan had gone to fight that empire… Perhaps Atris joined them and helped them kill Revan…"

Many of the masters agreed that line of thinking until Bastilla spoke up, "…I'm sorry Master Durr, but you are incorrect because Revan spoke to me through the force before he died and he had already destroyed that empire."

"Then Traya has become more powerful than both Revan and the exile…" Juhanni said.

["We should hunt her down…"] Gaffeen said shocking everyone.

"Master Gaffeen our numbers may have jumped but those are students, younglings, and padawans…" Lazz said. "…None of whom are ready for service to the order."

Bastilla stood up and went to the window, "We aren't going to pursue her…" Bastilla could feel the emotions of the masters as they reacted to her statement, "When Atris is ready she will come after us… in the meantime we will prepare ourselves by training and increasing our force and saber skills…" She returned to her seat. "…I will be taking a leave of absence while I am away Master Gaffeen will take my place as Grand Master until I return."

The gathered masters didn't take her news well, "Is that wise?" Mia Shale asked. "Considering what we are facing with the civil war on Corellia…"

"What is the purpose of your sabbatical…" Juhanni asked.

"Knowledge… I want to know why and how Atris became so powerful…"  
>"What about your apprentice?" Visas asked.<br>"I would ask Master Juhanni to take up his training until I return…"

After Juhanni agreed they also discussed exploration of the unknown regions and the possibility to send a master to tend to the dissolving situation on Corellia. When they were finished Bastilla sat alone in the council chambers; she sat thinking about Revan when a familiar presence filled the council chamber and Bastilla smiled as Revan's ghost like form appeared to her.

"I miss you…" She said.

"We will be together again…" he replied.

"Not being able to touch you is tearing me apart…"

He closed his eyes remembering the kiss they shared, "You must be strong…" He said opening his eyes, "I must leave soon…"

"Please stay…"

"I wish I could, but listen to me Bastilla… stay away from Darth Traya…"

"Is that what Atris is calling herself…" She asked in shock.

He nodded as his body began to become more transparent, "She is more powerful than you can possibly imagine…"

"But how… how did she become so powerful?" Her question went unanswered because Revan was gone. Saddened Bastilla finally left the council chambers and made her way to her private meditation chamber and then to her suite where she packed a light bag for her journey.

When Bastilla got to the hanger her apprentice was waiting. "So it is true…"

"I won't be gone long and while I am gone you will study under Master Juhanni…"

He was disappointed, "Master won't I learn more if I came with you?"

"Padawan I am going to be doing things and going places you aren't ready for…" She placed a hand on his shoulder, "…Your time will come quicker than you think…"

"Yes master…"

Bastilla said her final farewells and off she took in her long range Onderonian escort. A few days later she came out of hyperspace in an uncharted system in the outer rim, few people knew of its existence a swamp planet called Dagobah. It was here Bastilla would find her friend and mentor Master Vandarr who had come to the planet to help his friends reconnect with the force. As Bastilla entered the atmosphere she could feel Master Vandarr; she could also sense the old masters like Vrook, Zez Ki El, and Kavar, but they were spread out in different sections doing some training of some kind. Bastilla landed her ship in a small clearing near a camp site where Master Vandarr was stirring a pot that produced a smell that only someone of his species would appreciate. The camp site itself had four collapsible tents a small power generator and a line tied between two trees for drying the clothes that hung on it. There was also a small wooden scaffold with pieces of meat hanging from the poles; some were fish, other pieces of meet were the carcasses of some type of animal.

"Ah young Master Bastilla… Why have you come here?" He asked placing a top over the pot on the fire.

"Forgive me master, but I need your council and wisdom… As you know Revan and the Exile are dead…"

"Death is another path to the force…"

"Yes master…" She sighed trying to hold back the tears, but it was hard. "They were killed by Atris who is going by the name Darth Traya…"

"For certain are you…"

"I am master… Master in all humility will you return to the order… your strength combined with Master Visas we can overcome this Darth Traya... and destroy her…"

"Be careful Master Shan much hurt and anger do I sense in your voice…"

She closed her eyes and recited the Jedi code to herself; when she was done she opened them, "Master I know what you are doing here is important, but the order is in danger…"

"What do I is important… trust in the force and overcome you shall…"

Bastilla was disappointed, but she wasn't going to press the matter instead she changed topics, "How is it going with the masters?"

"All goes well… return soon we shall…"

"Well I am sorry to have disturbed you from your quest master I shall be going now…"

"Where go you…"

"I am retracing Atris' steps maybe I can find out what she is up to…"

After saying goodbye Bastilla returned to her ship and off she took setting course for Telos and its old northern irrigation system. Bastilla had a natural ability for seeing into the past it was an ability she had acquired when she bonded with Revan. So when she landed in the hanger of the northern polar irrigation system she immediately began force gazing into the past. Immediately the images came to her of Atris walking the halls of the irrigation system alone and down trodden; then it became dark and fuzzy as a great shadow blocked her sight. Bastilla tried forcing her way through the blocks that were erected by Traya all the way from the Unknown Regions, but Bastilla didn't realize it was Traya she thought is was something from the dark side especially since the irrigation system was filled with traces of dark energy.

When the darkness faded she watched as Atris who seemed to have overcome her down trodden demeanor build two weapons a light saber and a light whip; Bastilla saw her build a very huge holocron and download all the information from the holocrons stored in the library.

("So that's how she did it…") Bastilla thought to herself.

Her interest doubled as Atris stole a ship and left Telos for good, the image ended and Bastilla decided to travel to Nar Shadda next and question Vogga the Hutt.

Nar Shadda:

Bastilla had been on Nar Shadda for the past three days making plans to speak with Vogga the Hutt and spent time searching out places she sensed Atris had been. When she was done making her rounds through the streets Bastilla got ready to confront Vogga. She put on a bounty hunters armor that was a combination of Echani and Corellian armor.  
>Bastilla arrived early enough to be seventh in line; she could sense the emotions of the people in front of her and behind. Some had come to pay loans off others had come to make a loan or collect on a bounty.<br>The man at the door was human and he wore an Echani armor in fact he was Echani and he had served in the war with her against Malak. ("What could have happened to him to make him serve this Hutt?") She asked to herself. Bastilla entered his mind and replaced any memories of her with someone else, a precautionary measure in case he recognized her.  
>Bastilla was finally allowed to go in; she had only ever dealt with one Hutt in her travels a Hutt on Tatooine named _. Voga was just as big if not bigger than _; he greeted her in his ruff language and Bastilla responded with a bow.<br>"With all due respect my lord I am a bounty hunter and I came to ask you some questions about the woman who stole your shipment…" Vogga laughed and asked why he should answer her questions. "Because my lord I have information on the woman who stole your shipment… she was a sith lord… going by the name Darth Traya." Then Vogga asked if what you say is true why are you chasing this sith lord, "Because my lord I was hired by the Jedi to track this woman…" Vogga laughed and complimented her on her skills.

"Becareful my lord… she could be a Jedi herself…" Vogga's chief advisor said.

"I'm just a woman trying to do a job…" Bastilla was in disguise her hair was neatly tucked beneath a synthetic head peace to make it look as if she were bald. Maybe Vogga replied and reluctantly he told her about the woman who called herself Kri. "What about your client did they make any inquiries as to what happened to the shipment you were going to send to them?" She asked, but the reply was no. Vogga also informed her that several of his men haven't returned from the persuit and they were his best men. He had also decided to withdraw the bounty since it was a sith lord. "Thank you my lord you have been most helpful…" Bastilla left with more questions that needed to be answered than were answered, like who was this mysterious buyer and why would they not want compensation for their lost shipment. Bastilla remained on the planet to get more information and wound up at the czerka office on Nar Shadda.

"Can I help you ma'am?" The receptionist asked.

Before answering Bastilla looked around the main entrance using the force to sense any sign of Atris' lingering presence, "Yes I am here to see the executive officer…" Bastilla finally said to the woman.

"And your name please…"

"June… June Harler…"

The receptionist began running her name in the computer, "I'm sorry ma'am I don't see your name on the schedule…"

"Of course; I never said I had an appointment…"

The woman sighed, "Then I am sorry… no one sees the executive officer without an appointment…"

Bastilla took out her light saber and slammed it on the desk, "He will see me…" After Bastilla placed the light saber on the desk the woman flinched and then a hologram of the new executive officer appeared.

"Its okay Marri you can let her in…"

As Marri led Bastilla to the back office the hologram faded. A tall muscular human sat behind the desk reading a datapad when Marri and Bastilla entered the office. The man dismissed Marri and offered Bastilla a seat, "I'm sorry I didn't catch the name…"

Bastilla folded one leg over the other, "June… the name is June…"

"Ah a Jedi disguised as a bounty hunter… And what can I do for you?"

"A woman about six feet tall came hear a few months ago can you tell me anything useful…" The man laughed.

"Did I say something funny?"

"I ask your forgiveness Master Shan… I find humor in the oddest of places…"

Bastilla tried to deny it, "I told you my name is…"

She stopped in mid sentence when he raised his hand, "I know who you are and I am not the real Hull Meer… I am a spy working for the GRI at the beheast of Supreme Chancellor Julion Van Mont…"

Bastilla breathed a sigh of relief, "For a minute I thought that I'd have to fight my way out of this building…"

He smiled, "…We've been watching Czreka ever since Chancellor Mont took office."

"What can you tell me?"

He sighed, "Not much I'm afraid Master Atris came here and demanded an account to be accessed… an account predating the mandalorian wars, with a huge sum of credits… and there are several more accounts, but they can only be accessed by some type of code…"

"Have you tried slicing the system…"

"Yes but nothing works…"

"How much was in the account?"

"Over two hundred million…"

Bastilla whistled, "Well that is enough credits to buy several star systems… can you tell me anything else?"

"Only that the previous exec was strangled to death and every bone in his neck was broken… they also have a ghost holonet system in operation the signal vanishes in wild space…"  
>Bastilla was silent as she pondered everything she had just heard. "Hm the force choke technique…" She whispered.<br>He looked at her, "I'm sorry…"  
>"Nothing… Atris killed him…" She smiled at his dumbfounded look, "…She killed him using the force. Thank you you have been most helpful…" Bastilla left the office and made her way back to her ship and after nine minutes she took off setting course for Onderon.<p>

Onderon:

When Bastilla landed on Onderon she received a royal welcome from Queen Tahlia reception and all. Afterwards Tahlia met in private with Bastilla who explained to her the reason for her visit.

"It was a terrible night…" Tahlia said with a sigh after hearing Bastilla's reasons for coming, "I thought this business with my cousin was over…"

"It is now your majesty…" Bastilla said comforting her, "…Atris was only using those men to get to your vault."

"Yes she stole many sith artifacts that belonged to Freedon Nadd that night… secrets we've tried to keep buried."

"Masters Bao Durr and Atton Rand said that Atris traveled to the land of the beast riders…"

She sighed, "And I feel I must apologize for my cousin's treatment of the two masters… the beast riders have no great love for the Jedi…"

"May I ask a great favor my lady…"

"Ask I shall grant it if it is within my power…"

"I would like to travel to this forbidden mountain…" She could feel the question coming so she answered before she asked, "…I am hoping to find something Masters Bao Durr and Atton Rand missed."

Tahlia agreed and even gave Bastilla a full armed escort to the lands of the beast riders. Bastilla rode in an armored hover car up a path cut through vast jungle heading south. As Bastilla taveled she remained in meditation and as she approached the territoty of the riders Bastilla could feel the taint of the dark side on the land. She could also feel the scouts watching them from the land and the air but they didn't stop the caravan until it reached the gates of the beast rider city.  
>The moment the caravan stopped Bastilla got out of the transport to speak with the man at the gate. The rider at the gate was a tall man who reminded Bastilla of Revan especially with the way his hair was cut and the scar on his face.<br>Bastilla was about to speak, but the man cut her off, "I know who you are Master Jedi Bastilla Shan… my lord Chief Rider Sharaul Kain is waiting for you…"  
>Bastilla followed the rider into the hut city along with her escort; the village was everything Bao Durr and Atton Rand described to her. The children wore the same facial expression of the parents the look of a warrior who is ready to fight at a moments notice. Sharaul Kain was everything Bastilla was told and more for Bastilla could feel the force on him if he wasn't so old he would make a powerful Jedi she thought to herself.<p>

"First two Jedi masters trance through our lands and now the lord of all Jedi pays us a visit… tell me Grand Master are your Jedi planning to build an academy on this world?"

"Greetings great one and salutations… to answer your question… no we are not… I've come to ask permission to travel to the mountain in the south…" He raised an eyebrow, "For what purpose?"  
>"I am looking for a clue as to the intentions and whereabouts of the woman Atris who visited the mountain…"<br>"The two masters went up there and found nothing…"  
>"Yes but I am more powerful than them and perhaps I can see something they didn't…"<p>

He shrugged, "Very well you may pass, but your escort will remain here…"

Bastilla bowed, "Thank you great one…"

Bastilla used the force to run across the land scape towards her destination, she ran a speed of seventy-five miles per hour. When she reached the tainted lands at the edge of the forest she stopped and spread out with her thoughts in every direction. She found much including creatures she had never heard off or seen, but then she remembered an article in the archives about storm beasts and the ability they had to absorb any force energy directed at them.

"I need to stay away from them…" She said to herself.

Bastilla broke out into a run again avoiding the storm beasts and made it to the mountain without incident. She stood at the base of the moutain and closed her eyes; in the sight of her force vision she saw Atris jumped up the side of the mountain and was confronted by a force apparition. She couldn't tell what they were talking about, but she did see Atris cast the force ghost into the nexus of the force and then she moved on.  
>Bastilla crouched low and jumped up to the rubble of the pillars, she rested for a second then she jumped up two more times before she reached the top. The cave had a dark aurora about it, but Bastilla ignored it and entered the cave. The cave had been plundered already of all artifacts and knowledge; Bastilla thought about what Atris did at the polar irrigation system and at the royal palace of Isis.<p>

"Knowledge…" She said outloud, "Atris is collecting knowledge, but for what…" she pondered on the matter for many hours before she made her way back down the mountain.

Bastilla returned to the beast riders and with her escort she returned to Isis city and immediately she left the planet and set course for Korriban.

Bastilla felt the dark side and someone's presence on the planet the moment she landed on Korriban's surface. Someone was in the old sith academy, there were two of them and she could feel the force in them. Bastilla started heading to the academy from the valley and she could feel the two strangers; one human and the other alien heading towards her. She unhooked her lightsaber and picked up the pase towards the academy.

"What is it master?" A human of twenty years of age asked following his Catharian master.

"Stretch out with your mind my apprentice… there is Jedi walking the surface of Korriban…"

"Do you think she has come to join us master?"

"Unlikely… she has come to kill us… It will take the two of us to kill her…"

The young human could feel the presence of a woman with a force aura that shined like a beacon and she was heading towards them. Both master and apprentice were dressed in traditional sith robes, but the Cathar's robes were more elaborate. The two sith had been on Korriban for the past four months training and searching the ruins for any sith artifacts that would increase their knowledge and skill. When they arrived on Korriban they both felt a huge force presence that had visited the planet, but had left and it still linguered in the air.

The two sith were now on the top level where the dormitories use to be and they were heading for the entrance that led to the valley of the dark lords. When they entered the dueling hall Bastilla was standing in the archway to the hallway that led to the valley.

"Welcome Jedi… have you come here to join us…" The Cathar asked.

"I am Grand Master Bastilla Shan of the Jedi order and you sith will answer my questions… not ask them…"

The human spoke, "My Master is Darth Cathar and you are trespassing Jedi…" The apprentice was armed with a vibro-sword because he didn't have the skill to wield or build a lightsaber.

"Leave us Jedi this is no place for you…" The Cathar said; he took the name of his race as his sith name. Cathar unhooked his curved handled lightsaber from his belt. ("Apprentice… hear my thoughts… this woman is stronger than the both of us, but together we may have a chance.") A nod of the head was the apprentice's response.

Bastilla's lightsaber was in hand, but she hadn't ignited yet, "Where is Atris?" She asked.

The two sith looked at each other, "We know of no Atris…" Cathar said.

"Master let us put down this Jedi scum…" Impatient the apprentice charged Bastilla swinging wildly.

She dodged the first few swings and ignited her lightsaber when Cathar joined him. Bastilla kept both sith in front her spinning, twisting, kicking; she blocked with left and swung with right and spun again kicking the apprentice in the face. The apprentice would have died if Cathar hadn't blocked her lightsaber; he spun into Bastilla and used his shoulder like a battering ram. Bastilla stumbled backwards, but into a role and she came up on her feet. The apprentice put his legs up and jumped to his feet he ran and jumped over both Bastilla and his master, but when he landed Bastilla kicked him in the chest on onto his back he went again. She jumped into the air and would have stepped on his head if hadn't roled to the side. Cathar came at Bastilla flourishing his lightsaber from side to side, but Bastilla roled to the side and came up behind him and placed a huge slash on his back. She would have finished him off, but she raised her saber over her head and stabbed the apprentice in the gut; Bastilla spun off her knees onto her feet and slashed his neck. She flourished her lightsaber as she waited for Cathar to attack. Cathar looked at his dead apprentice and his rage and anger began to build; that combined with the pain of his back his power became a raging volcanoe. He unleashed that power into an explosive wave of force energy that destroyed the dueling ring. The wave cracked the walls, floor, and the ceiling and threatened to collapse the room, but Bastilla held the room together and grabbed Cathar in the force and slammed him into the wall. She threw her saber like a spear and hit him in the chest. When she recovered her lightsaber Bastilla ran up the hall releasing her hold on the room and allowed Cathar to be buried alive. As she ran out of the academy a dust cloud followed her she coughed a little and stood in front of the door making sure Cathar was dead by searching the academy with her mind he was dead and Bastilla turned and headed back to the valley. As Bastilla walked up the narrow mountain path that led to the valley she stopped in front of the cave that led to the tomb of Ludo Kresh. She could feel in her mind that Atris had entered the cave so she put one foot in front of the other and in she went. Bastilla spent hours searching the cave, but found nothing but Tu'lak corpses. She stood in front of the tomb of Ludo Kresh, but it was the opposite end of the back cave that kept her attention. She stared for an hour calling on the force, but she felt nothing and finally she decided to leave.

Coruscant:

Bastilla returned to Coruscant feeling she still had questions that needed to be answered like what drew Atris to that cave on Korriban and where did Atris go after she left Korriban, Bastilla returned to the temple and explained her journey and what she found to the council.

["I'm afraid we have some both bad and good news… Master Shan…"] It was Master Gaffeen who spoke, ["A ship arrived a week after you left… it was operating on droid pilot and it was from the Unknown Regions…"]

"If it was from the unknown regions then we can use the hyperspace coordinates to find Atris…" She said interrupting.

Lazz shifted in his chair and said, "Um… well we thought that too, but it would seem that Revan erased the navicomputer… but more importantly is what was in the ship…"

"Or who…" Juhanni said speaking up.

"Well who was it?"

"Sithlings… five of them…"  
>Bastilla was in disbelief, "How old are they?"<p>

"Between the ages of three and seven… four humans and an alien… one we've never seen or heard of before…"

The entire council brought Bastilla down to the lower levels where the detention cells were. The alien was four years old a female with an elaborate crest on her head that was white and red, and a pale pink skin; from the crest head tails extended down her back. The girl was asleep and in the cell next to her was a boy of three years old he to was sleeping. Across from them was a five year old girl who was crying to be freed. She had cherry red hair and a scar on her left cheek; she was missing her index finger on her left hand.

Three cells down was a six year old girl and next to her was a seven year old boy; both were pacing back and forth in their cells brooding in their rage and trying to summon all their strength to free themselves. The children were dangerous and their power was being held in check by eight powerfully skilled Jedi.

"What are their names?" Bastilla asked walking up and down the cell block.

"The little alien's name we can't translate yet, but we believe she comes from a planet in the outer rim…" Lazz said. "Revan did send a profile on each child…"

Mia Shale stood in front of the seven year old's cell, "He refuses to eat and it worries me…"

"Let us go you Jedi scum…" The girl yelled as Bastilla passed her cell.

She ignored her and stood in front of the boy's cell, "What is your name?"

He looked at her and smirked, "…Let me go and I will carve my name into all your corpses…"

["Of all of them… he is the most powerful and the most dangerous…"] Master Rimjall said.

"They came to us in chrono-chambers…"

Bastilla and the council left the chambers and stood in the foyer where dozens of droids went about servicing the lower levels. "Can we hope to turn them…" She asked hopefully.

"Their all dangerous… don't let the little one fool you she wasn't sleeping and two days ago she almost escaped…" Bao Durr said.

"I believe we should exile them…" Juhanni said.

Bastilla was thinking the same thing but if Revan didn't think they could be saved he wouldn't have sent them. Her thoughts were interrupted, "And I say we should strip them of the force and send them on their way…"

Bastilla looked at all the council members before speaking, "We will try to turn them from the darkside, but letting them go is dangerous and after my fight on Korriban I am convinced there are other sith out there besides Atris…"

Over the next few days the council did their best to try and turn the sithlings from the dark side. The first to turn was the three year old boy and then the five year old. The three year old alien tried to trick the council into thinking she had turned and when she was released she wounded two jedi before she was put back into her cell. Eventually she really turned thanks to Mia Shale who treated the girl like a daughter and always visited her the same time everyday.

"Let go of you anger…" Tywanna said, the three year old girl had considered the seven year old boy her friend.

"Leave me traitor… you will die along with all these Jedi…"

They had been talking for the past nine minutes "Come he will not hear us…" Mia Shale said.

The boys name was Keb Harr and he was the last of the sithlings who hadn't turned and the council was considering stripping him of the force. Mia and Tywanna were about to leave when the cell filled with a red light that engulfed the cell and when the light faded the three Jedi who were binding Keb with their power had been weakened by some kind of force attack and Keb was gone. Mia ran to the cell and it was empty, so she called an emergency meeting of the council, but the other masters had felt the enormous surge of power.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13. Sith Love

Helceck and Ilisa had been at the Aliens Gate for the past several months and Helceck spent most of his time complaining and trying to convince his sister to leave, but his words fell on def ears because she believed that they needed to wait.

Ilisa was in the food court on the east side of the space station, the space station was four rings; the outer ring was the docking bay the inner ring was a food court and market shops and the third inner ring was the apartment ring and medical center and the middle was an orb that served as the central control center. Each of the rings were connected by breezewalks evenly spaced around the ring; which gave the station the look of a giant wheel in space when you looked at it from the top.

Ilisa was dining on Dellian cuisine, Dellians were humans who lived on a oasis like world with huge deserts and like Tatooine the planet had two suns. Helceck crossed the floor passing patrons both human and alien on his way to his sister's table. He stood in front of her in a huff, "Are you going to stand there or are you going to take a seat?" She asked.

"I want a strait answer little sister… how long are we going to stay here?"

"I don't know… the force led me here and when our master finishes whatever it is she is doing she is going to send her servants here to collect us…"

"Look…" He said interrupting.

"No my brother you look… we chose this path and if we are going to be force users then trust in the force even if you don't trust my judgement…"

He finally adopted a lighter mood and sat down, "Did you hear our father has declared himself King…"

"Probably a ploy to get us to come home…"

"Probably…" Helceck's eyes narrowed as he felt a disturbance in the force, "We have company…"

"What are you…" Ilisa didn't finish the sentence as she felt it as well. "…Enforcers." She declared.

"Now what… they are coming…" Helceck's words were lost as a Mandalorian and an alien looking droid came to the table. "Can we help you?" Helceck said annoyed.

"Are you Helceck and Ilisa Sathar of the clan Sathar…" The droid asked.

They looked at each other and at the same time they responded, "Yes we are…"

"Come with us the master you've been seeking sent us to fetch you…"

Without a word the siblings followed the two and were halfway to the exit when eight heavily armed enforcers blocked their pathway. People started running for the exits before the confrontation exploded.

"You want to get out of our way…" Fett said.

"Those two are under arrest…"

"By whose authority…"

"Ours… They are wanted by the Arquillian government… stand aside Mandelorian…"

Six more enforcers flanked them from behind, "We don't want any trouble these two are under our protection…"

"That's funny a Mandalorian not wanting to get in a fight… if the numbers are a problem my boys will sit this out and me and you could go at it… to the death…"

"I'm not the one who is in trouble it's you in ten minutes you and all your men will be dead…"

"Yeah go ahead and show me you mando scum…"

The lead enforcer's head came off in a blaze as a sith assassin came out of nowhere and before the enforcers could respond five of them were already dead. While the assassins took out the enforcers in a matter of minutes Fett and T-Seven lead Helceck and Ilisa away towards the docking ring.

"Who were those warriors?" Helceck asked walking up the ramp.

"No time for questions let's move…" Fett yelled.

The long range ship took off without waiting for permission from the central control and using a slicer they overrode the bay doors and out into space they flew. As soon as the shuttle flew out of the hangar a squadron of Arquillian fighters swarmed at them, but that wasn't the problem; it was the Arquillian fleet that was storming the massive space station that was the problem. After several close calls Fett managed to out fly his persuers and escape the besieged station.

Keb Harr walked up the hall of the Inferno on the captain's deck to meet his new sith master; he had been on the Inferno for the past three days recovering from his missed meals and refusal to take food when he was a prisoner of the Jedi.

It had taken only one day for Traya to heal from using her power to perform the force teleport technique in order to remove Harr from the clutches of the Jedi and bring him to her. Moving someone across that much space was no small feet even for one as powerful as she had become. She had been watching Bastilla ever since she went on her treck and even when she returned to Coruscant and when she saw the sithligs she decided to wait and see if any of them would break, Harr was the only one worthy of her teachings so she decided to bring him to her sanctuary in a star system she called Sithari. The star system was uninhabited and only had two planets revolving around the sun. Her construction teams and engineers were building the new sith academy while she waited in orbit on board the Inferno.

She smiled sensing Harr's approach, "Come in…" She said before he had a chance to chime the door.

He walked in confidently and drop to one knee bowing his head, "Master… I thank you for delivering me from the Jedi…"

She didn't reply right away she remained silent studying him as he knelt down before her, the whole time Harr didn't move, "Arise…" She finally said.

Harr stood up and looked into her eyes, "Master if I may… what was that technique you used on me for I have never seen or heard of any such force technique…"

"If you are worthy… in time you may prove worthy to learn it… but tell me what were you trying to accomplish by starving yourself to death…"

He smiled, "I was taught mistress to use my enemy's weaknesses against them and the Jedi's greatest weakness is compassion…"

She looked him up and down while at the same time weighing his words, "Clever but there were other ways to accomplish your goals…"

"Yes master…" He lowered his head.

"Show me what you can do… I wish to gage your abilities…"

He smiled and pointed his hand at the bed and using the force he lifted the bed the dresser and a few other objects all at once even Gars sleeping basket. As the bed floated into the air the Ta'Kata jumped off the basket and growled at Harr then he sat on his hind legs next to Traya. After holding the objects in the air for over an hour Harr lowered everything to floor back into the same position. "I can do that and more…" He said gathering enough energy for a lightening storm. Gar snarled again as Harr filled the room with lightening; it surged through the walls and electrified everything except Traya and Gar.

"Very impressive…" She said pleased, "But what is power witout knowledge…"

He recited the sith code and told her a brief history of the sith starting with Ajunta Pall, Marko Ragnos, Tulak Hord, and Naga Sadow, "After the defeat of Marko Ragnos…"

She stopped him by raising her hand, "You have been well educated my little sithling… before I tell you my purpose do you have any questions for me?"

He was quick to ask, "The two Jedi who destroyed our empire… are they dead…"

She smiled, "…Yes and at my hand."

He was thoughtful for a second, "Where are we…"

"On my ship the Inferno… in an uninhabited system I call Sithari…"

"Do you come from the core worlds…"

"Yes…"

"What is your name?" He asked.

"I am Darth Traya… there must always be a Darth Traya…" She could tell the last part of her statement confused him, "I sense that all your questions have been answered so I am going to build a place where the sith and it's teachings will always exist… I am going to be the catalyst that rebuilds the sith who fight the Jedi, but not in the way you think… we will rule the unknown regions in secret, from the shadows as a true sith should, but one day the power of the sith will be absolute…"

"I look forward to learning from and serving you master…"

Just then a droid enetered the room, "Mistress T-Seven and Fett have returned… Also I thought you might want to know that the Arquillians have taken control of the Alien's Gate…"

"Thank you… have my new students brought to the captain's deck…" As the drod left; she truned her attention back to Harr, "…Come with me."

Gar followed them both from the captain's quarters to another part of the captain's deck, "You will be staying here for the time being…" The room was spacious and comfortable with enough room to practice lightsaber techniques and meditate.

After showing Harr his new room Traya led Harr to the common room where Helceck and Ilisa were waiting. "The two of you are dismissed…" Traya said to both Fett and T-Seven. She inspected them walking around them feeling their auros through the force. "I am Darth Traya… who are you two…"

Ilisa smiled feeling that they were being tested, "My name is Ilisa…"

"Helceck…" He replied non-shalantly.

"Why have you been looking for me…"

Ilisa cleared her throat, "We want to learn to use the force… we are willing to do whatever you ask, but we ask that you teach us…"

"You will swear loyalty to me… your life will be what I say… if you raise your hand against me I will strike you down where you stand…"

Both Helceck and Ilisa dropped to one knee and bowed swearing alligance to Traya. "Rise…" She ordered pleased with their oaths of loyalty. "T-Seven will show you your quarters… your training will begin tomorrow…"

The star system Traya chose was very isolated from the rest of the sector in the unknown regions. She had her droid engineers construct an artificial magnetic storm and using the force and giant gravity projectors Traya had an asteroid field block off all hyperspace lanes into the system.

Within three weeks of construction the landing pad was completed and the main power generator was up and running. The building site for the new sith academy lie in between three mountains and at present the engineers were working on the foundations. Traya had the Inferno and the Atris docked on the landing pad and it was being used as a base camp until the dormitories were complete.

The planet itself was a cross between Tatooine, Korriban, and Mustafar; in the north and south poles were a volcanoe spewing ash into the sky which was the reason the skies were always gray. Rocks and sand were everywhere and high mountains water was scarce a few rivers here and there.

As time passed on construction got closer to completion; while the construction of the Trayus academy went on Traya filled her days training her students. Harr, Helceck, and Ilisa received their training between the hours of sunrise and sunset. Harr was farther along in his training than anyone, but the Arquillians were fast learners and were catching up with him quickly.

Jothan was being trained from the hours of sunset and midnight, she kept him separate from the other students because he was meant to die at her hands and she didn't want Jothan influencing the other Arquillians. Jothan was so far along that Traya decided to give him a lightsaber; one of the sabers he took off of Revan's ship. It was late in the evening three hours after sunset and Traya was sparring with Jothan. Jothan was using the fighting skills he learned from Traya and some swordsmanship he had learned from his father, but no matter what he did Jothan couldn't get past her defenses.

Jothan flourished his weapon and spun around arching high, but Traya blocked and went for the gut, but instead of blocking he rolled to the side and went for her legs. Traya surprised him by uncoiling her light whip at the other end and with the flick of her wrist she disarmed Jothan recoiled the whip and switched the lightsaber end on pointing the energy blade in his face.

"What was that…" Jothan asked on his back staring up at Traya.

"That is called a master's privilege and it is meant to teach you a lesson… be prepared for anything…"

As she switched off the blade he stood up calling his lightsaber to his hand, "…You are hiding things from me."

She smiled to herself wipping her face with a towel, "And what do you think I'm hiding from you?"

"Your new students for one… I can sense their presence… and when are we going to start making our plans…"

She raised an eyebrow, "Our plans…"

"For the Arquillian Empire and the rest of the galaxy… the Arquillians are winning the war and when we rule the entire quadrant we can overthrow the rest of the galaxy…"

"Interesting plan, but you aren't ready yet… you still need more training…" She only said that to placate him.

"When will I be ready and when will we start recruiting more students… I know a host of Arquillians who wish to learn to use the force…"

"In time…" Traya went quiet and thought about her visions of killing Jothan and that is when she had a thought and asked, "…Will you have dinner with me tonight…" The shock she felt from the question was evident on his face and can be felt in the force.

It took a few seconds for Jothan to gather his voice, "Yes… I will…"

"Well you can practice your meditation for the next hour then change and come to my room on board the Inferno…"

When Jothan was studying under Traya Harr, Helceck, and the others were going over some scrolls Traya had given them on board the Atris. Ilisa left her lessons and headed to Thanus' tent which was pitched near the ion engines of the Atris.

Thanus was eating alone as usual but not because he was still an outsider it was out of choice, "Eating alone again…"

He put the fork down and sighed, "What do you want now?"

Ilisa had been infatuated with him since the day she saw him, "You know what I want…"

"You are a girl…"

"Chronologically yes, but I have a woman's body…" She walked around him rubbing her hand in his hair, "…And all men dream of being with a maid…" He started shifting in his chair, "…I am force sensitive …I can make all your fantasies come true."

He looked at her, "…I bet you can." Ilisa was a real beauty her black hair pulled into a ponytail her lips were red with lip salve and her black uniform hugged her body showing off all her curves.

He jumped up and grabbed her, "You are something else… but what if your master finds out…"

"You are worried about her… I am very disappointed…"

"I don't think she will be happy with me distracting her student… and you should know Traya and I were lovers…"

She reached up to kiss him, "Well I think I can make you forget her…"

They kissed a passionate kiss and then into the tent they went; after an hour they sat feeding each from a tray of food.

"Now tell me you still have Traya on the brain…"

"Traya who…" They laughed.

While Thanus and Ilisa had their romantic rondevous Jothan was making his way to Traya's suit and while he was attracted to her he was using this as a way to push Traya into making his dreams of conquering the galaxy come true. When he entered the room Traya was standing near a table with two server droids; she wore a black see through robe with a one piece suit that crossed her back and barely covered the private places of her body; it flowed across her breasts and came together between her legs and across her back.

Jothan was speechless and stood there watching her for a minute or more before he was able to move.

"Come in and take a seat…" It was her words that brought him out of his trance.

He walked across the room and pulled out a chair for her then he took a seat and as he did he glanced at the sealed door, something behind there drew his attention in the force. "This is different…" He said breaking the silence.

"What do you mean…" she asked placing a napkin in her lap.

"Well the seductive way you are dressed… I mean what am I to think?"

"Think what you want… at present I am not your master or teacher… I am your dinner companion…"

They dined on Arquillian dishes which delighted Jothan to no end, their dinner started with a light seagrass salad, then they ate a main course of Gava balls and taspar stake. Gava balls were a mixture of cheese and pasta rapped in a sausage skin and baked for half an hour. Taspar was something like the nerf of Alderran only taspar had tusks instead of horns.

After they ate they had pineleafs for desert, "What do you call this?" Jothan asked savoring the sweetness in his mouth.

She smiled, "A delicousy from the core…"

The leaves were huge a foot long and a foot wide, "You know the Arquillian supply ligns have been cut off from the Synotar…"

She sighed, "I will not have my evening marred by talk of war… there are better things to do than talk about war…"

He raised an eyebrow, "Such as…"

In response Traya stood and allowed her robe to fall to the floor, she walked around the table and took Jothan's hand and led him to the bed. "What does this mean?" Jothan asked lying down with Traya in his chest.

"This means in the bedroom we are lovers outside the bedroom I am your master…"

He looked at her, "We need to redefine our relationship…"

She placed her hand over his lips, "…Let's not ruin the moment with words…" she kissed him until he forgot what he was saying.

The next day Traya didn't train anyone she had them all study from scrolls and manuscripts while she contacted Jothan's clone and told him to put together a special unit in order to free the arquillian supply lines. The special unit that had been put togther was given a superweapon that could disable an entire fleet and after deploying the weapon the war turned back in favor of the Arquillians. This enabled Traya to return her attention back to her students.

Over the next few weeks Traya would train Harr, Ilisa, and Helcack and in the evenings she would train Jothan and every three days she would spend a romantic evening with Jothan. Their love affair was glorious and Traya enjoyed every minute of it, but it wouldn't last because Jothan was going to betray her and she would have to kill him.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked as they sat at dinner.

"You are what's wrong with me… How long are we going to train… I know a lot about the force…" She raised an eyebrow, "…Enough to rule at your side …and when are we going to discuss a plan for the galaxy." He paused, but Traya remained silent. "…Now that I think about it you have been using our love affair to distract me."

"Are you unhappy…"

"What does that have to do with anything… you taught me to draw my power from my passions…"

"Yes… but you are allowing your passions to rule you…" She said putting down her fork.

"I need you to define our relationship… Am I your equal or not…" She didn't respond, "I've lost my appetite…" He stood up and left.

Traya finished her dinner and went into the next room where her meditation chamber was and where she kept her holocrons. She enetered the chamber and meditated for an hour and emerged from the chamber and began working on a new holocron.

The next morning didn't seem right to Traya she felt off in some way in fact she had been feeling off for the past four weeks. Her power was there, but something was off and it showed in her teaching which made Harr to ask. "Forgive me master, but are you well…"

She sighed and looked at him, "…No your lessons are over for the day practice your meditations." She said dismissing them as they left Traya contacted T-Seven whose holographic image appeared before her, "Tell Jothan there will be no training today at least from me… have him go over his scrolls and manuals…"

"As you wish mistress…"

By now the medical center and the dormitories had been completetd and the thrown room and archives were under construction. So Traya made her way to the medical center and had a full examination. The medical droid took one hour to examine her and stood in front of Traya and said, "Mistress you are pregnant… a few weeks pregnant…"

"Is that so…" Traya said focusing all her mind on her womb and found it; the baby growing inside her. Traya smiled to herself and looked at the droid, "Is it a boy or girl…"

"Its going to be a girl my lady…"

("It's going to be the next Darth Traya…) She said thinking to herself.

In order to keep from drawing attention to herself or the baby she was carrying Traya would hide herself in the force and used the assasins for sparring sessions with all the students. This worked until she started showing and then she rarely showed herself to the students. Traya was in her room posing in the holo-mirror and her growing belly when there was a commotion at her door. The doors were ripped off the track and in burst Jothan behind him the two sith assasins were on the floor badly injured.

"So it's true…" He said accusingly as two more assasins came in behind him.

The assasins were about to drag him out, but Traya stopped them by raising her hand, "What is the meaning of this…" She said outraged while trying to hide her now obvious pregnancy.

"I knew it…" Jothan cried pointing at her, "…You can't hide the truth from me anymore."

Traya looked at the sith assasins, it would be so easy to order them to kill Jothan, but he was meant to die at her hand; she sighed, "Leave us…"

The assasins obeyed and Jothan waited until they were out of ear shot, he started walking across the floor, "Why would you…"

He stopped in mid-sentence as his body was gripped by an enormous power one that he couldn't overcome and that is when he realized the true might of Traya's power; it was like being held by the force itself, "I am a sith lord and a pregnant one and you are treading on dangerous ground…"

He had to speak from in between clenched teeth because even his jaw muscles were imprisoned, "I meant no disrespect… we are suppose to be equals… you are carrying our child that means my visions are coming true… I love you…" The pressure around his body began to fade, but he still couldn't move his feet.

"What did you say…" She asked caustiously.

"I said… I said that I love you and that my visions are coming true…" She turned away from him, because she wasn't thinking strait and being a pregnant force user messed with her emotions. "…You won't let me in …why?" The pressure vanished and Jothan was able to walk so he cautiously made his way towards her because she still had her back to him and by now Gar was standing next to her growling at him. He gently placed his hands on her sholders and kissed her neck. Jothan's hands fondled her breasts and went down to her stomach; he could now feel the life form inside growing stronger by the second. "This is our future… we are meant to rule the Arquillians and then the entire region and finally the galaxy… the core worlds will fall to our might and the Jedi will bow to our power or die fighting us… can't you see that…"

Tears flowed from Traya's yellow glowing eyes, because she loved him to but he was a blind fool. Traya was going to control the unknown regions but from the shadows and the galaxy would fall but not to her, but the sith she would mold from her teachings. She saw everything Jothan did, but that future was based on decisions he was making and it blinded him to the decisions she had already made. "I love you too…" Was all she could manage to say.

"Then will you let me start our plans…"

"Be patient…" She said, "Now leave me there is much I must do…"

Jothan was a little annoyed at being put off especially after sharing his feelings with her. "…I shall leave you for now, but we will talk again and soon."

The talk never came and over the next few months Traya rarely showed herself to her students; prefering to pass her lessons along through the assains. It was Harr who first discovered the truth behind her long sabacticles from training. "Our master is pregnant…" He declared in the common room of the dormitory.

Both Ilisa and Helceck looked at each other, "Are you sure…" Ilisa asked.

"Absolutely… she has been doing a good job of hiding it in the force, but she slipped today in her force illusions and I saw it…"

"So why hide it…" Helceck asked.

"To come from a race of force sensitive people… you can be real slow sometimes Helceck…"

He jumped out of his chair, "I'd watch how you speak to me boy…"

They both drew their lightsabers, but Ilisa stopped them, "Enough and put that away… the master will punish you both if you fight in here…" It took a few minutes but they both put their weapons away and sat down. "…Now continue with what you were saying…"

Harr's yellow eyes returned to normal, "Well I was raised in the sith empire as you know… and often the men would mate with the women for one reason or another even for love as it was with my parents… anyway a woman of the sith pregnant can be very dangerous… a normal woman get's emotional enough so what do you think would happen with a woman who can use the force…" Neither Helceck or Ilisa wanted to admit the implications, "…She is very dangerous and if she lost control while training us…"

"If Master Traya lost control… I don't think the planet wouldn't be here anymore…" Helceck said.

"Exactly… She is very powerful… even more powerful than the emporer and I don't think any of us have seen the true extent of her power…"

"Who is the father?" Ilisa asked.

"I don't know nor do I want to know…"

"Maybe we should leave until she has the baby…" Helceck said.

Harr laughed, "As long as she meditates and we don't upset her… we will be fine…"

The academy was nearing completion and it was the eighth month of Traya's pregnancy. Thanus was in the simulator keeping his skills sharp and his body fit; he was sparring against two battle droids of Synotar design. One droid jumped him from behind and held onto his back while the other punched him in the gut. He spun around causing the droid to punch the other in the back; then he flipped the droid over and did a spin kick on the second droid. As the droids got back on their feet Thanus rolled out of the way to prepare for the next assault, but the droids were hit wth force lightening. Thanus had to close his eyes to protect them from the light, when he opened them Ilisa was walking towards him.

"I didn't need your help you know…"

She walked pass him, "We need to talk…"

She led him to a private room adjacent to the training simulator; the room was actually the armory for practice weapons.

"Darth Traya is pregnant…" She abruptly said.

He stared at her for a few seconds, "And you think I am the father…" He tried not to laugh her jealosy was cute to him, but he knew better than to joke with a sith in training.

"Are you?" Her eyes were a deep yellow even where the whites should have been.

He sighed, "You know me better than that… When I am with a woman she has my complete attention… I don't' hop from one bed to the other there is no honor in that…"

She calmed down, "Even so one needs to here it from time to time…" She continued looking at him, "…Do you know who the father is?"

He sighed, "Yes and I probably shouldn't tell you… it's an Arquillian named Jothan…"

Ilisa gasped, "Jothan is here learning to use the force?"

Thanus berated himself because he was playing with fire and at the same time he wanted revenge for the way Traya treated him when he joined her little group of followers. "Yes… he has been here longer than you and your brother… She trains him separately from you…"

Ilisa took her information and told both Helceck and Harr, "So… I had feeling someone else was here, but I never tried to confirm it…" Harr said.

"What should we do…" Ilisa aksed looking at her brother.

"I don't know… we should at least try to find out why he is here and what he is up too…"

Harr wagged his head back and forth, "I wouldn't do that… there is a reason the Master kept us separated from him…"

"Yeah and I can guess a few…" She looked at Helceck again. "…Are you with me brother?"

He shook his head, "You know I am…"

They made their way through the academy to the east side dormitories; Harr followed along too for some entertainment. Jothan was in the great study where he could remove something from the archives and bring to the study for his personal use. Traya kept the holocrons to herself and allowed her students access to scrolls she had created herself. Jothan was reading a scroll on the lightsaber techniques of Ajunta Pall when he felt a disturbance in the force. When he turned in his chair and gasped because standing in the doorway were three force users; two he recognized as Helceck the former heir to the Sathar Clan and his brat sister Ilisa.

"Well… well… well… if isn't Clan Lord Jothan… fancy that you being here…" Ilisa said; she had her double edge lightsaber in hand.

"So your father has sent you here to learn the ways of the force…"

"Fool… our father has no idea where we are or what we are doing…" Ilisa said.

Jothan turned his attention to Harr, "And who are you suppose to be…"

"My name is Keb Harr… I'm just a spectator…"

"If you are here… then who is ruling your clan…"

It was Ilica who put two and two together, "Helceck he cloned himself… remember the cloning technology his clan was creating…" He looked at his sister, "…The one he said or rather his clone said didn't work."

"Spoiled brat you were always too smart for your own good…"

"Hey sis you realize he probably planned to clone all the clan lords and then he would rule all of the Arquillians…"

"And place his bastard daughter on the Arquillian thrown…"

"You know too much and you have spoken against my unborn child… I don't care if you are Traya's students… die…" He screamed unleashing a storm of force lightening, but both Helceck and Ilisa blocked it with their lightsabers. When he saw they blocked the attack he unleashed a force wave at them but the siblings combined their power and dispelled the wave. That is when Jothan realized that the twins were working together and that put them on equal footing and their knowledge of force techniques was on the same level as well.

Ilisa didn't waist anytime she leapt across tables and chairs attacking Jothan by switching in between the first and second tiers of lightsaber fighting, in this Jothan had a slight advantage because he was studying the Ataru style and he knew a few moves and incorporated them into his repartee. Helceck didn't attack instead he stood back chanelling power to his sister which was giving her an advantage. She stuck out her hand and force pushed Jothan; he flew sliding across a table and onto the floor knocking over some chairs.

("I have to stop him…") Jothan thought to himself after realizing what Helceck was doing.

Ilisa jumped over the tables and chairs and was coming down on Jothan who grabbed a chair in the force and threw it at her. She cut the chair into pieces as she landed, but jothan rolled out of the way and when he got to his feet; he lept across the room at Helceck. "You don't want any of this old man…" He broke his link with Ilisa and ignited his lightsaber. The blades crackled and hissed as they battered away at each other. Jothan was the better swordsman incorporating his experience into his fighting style and despite the fact that Ilisa was the one who was now feeding Helceck force energy he spun to the side arched his saber and severed Helceck's arm. Helceck feel to his knees the pain was too great to continue; Jothan smiled and was about to finish him off.

"No…" Ilisa screamed force throwing her lightsaber; the spinning blade distracted Jothan long enough for her to attack him with her force lightening. The blast hit him in the chest after be cut her lightsaber in half; the strength of her attack shattered his force barrier and slammed him into the wall. As Jothan slid down the wall Ilisa poured on the lightening shocking him again and again. Jothan thought he was going to die, but the room no the entire planet shook from the force of Traya's power.

"Enough!" She yelled standing in the doorway with Gar at her side and two assasins. When Harr saw her he jumped up and dropped to one knee.

"My lady…"

"Leave…" She said to Harr who quickly left the study. Traya surveyed the destruction, Helceck lay on the floor near his severed arm and he swayed back and forth trying to numb the pain. Jothan lay against the wall convulsing from electric shock and the two pieces of Ilisa's double edged lightsaber lay a few feet from Jothan. "You will take your brother to the infirmary… go now…" Ilisa scooped her brother up by placing his good arm around her neck and left the study without saying a word. "Keep the siblings under guard and have Harr report to my private meditation chamber in one hour…" Traya said to the assasins. When they left Traya removed the lightening from Jothan's body; then she teleported him to his room.

It took two days for Jothan to recover from the lightening attack and three days for Helceck after fitting him with a cybernetic implant.

Jothan had wanted to see Traya in order to explain what happened but she had heard it from Harr and wanted to speak with the siblings first. Helceck and Ilisa were down on one knee bowing to Darth Traya in the thrown room. "Harr has already explained certain things to me… so I want the two of you to explain your actions…"

They remained on one knee and it was Ilisa who spoke, "Forgive me my lady the fault lies with me… When I learned Jothan was here… I became angry I only wanted to know what he was up to… one thing lead to another and we got into a fight…"

Traya sat on a black marble thrown with Gar at her side, "Do you think me a fool that I don't know what he is up too?"

"No master… its just… well I saw into his mind and I didn't like what I saw…"

She grunted, "And you Helceck what do you have to say for yourself?"

"My sister is younger than me, but she is quit skilled… I did what I did for her…"

Traya drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair, "It would be a waste to destroy the two of you… you both are exiled to the waste lands… you will receive no food or shelter for the next three months… now get out of my sight…"

"You are gracious my lady…" They kept their heads down until they left the thrown room with five assains escorting them out.

With a wave of her hand T-Seven escorted Thanus into the thrown room, he bowed at the hip. "That was quit a disturbance you caused…" He knew better than to reply, "…If you ever pull a stunt like that I will show you the real meaning of pain…"

He bowed, but remained where he was, "If I may ask… what has become of Ilisa…"

Traya smiled, "You love her… how quaint…" Thanus just stared at her, "…She has been exiled for three months." Thanus bowed again and left the thrown room and right behind him Jothan entered the thrown room, but he didn't bow. Traya raised an eyebrow at the display of disrespect. ("So this is how it starts…") She thought to herself. "Explain yourself…" She demanded.

"Perhaps you should explain yourself… for one how can you have three other students here and two of them just happen to be the children of my greatest enemy… Or why don't you explain why you kept your pregnancy a secret from me…" His anger was growing hot and Traya could feel it, but she kept hers under check because it wasn't time to kill him yet. "No answer… or perhaps you've forgotten that it was the force that brought us together and that we are meant to rule together…"

"When did I give you that idea… I told you my purpose when we met… now true our destinies are intertwined but I rule alone…"

Those words struck a cord in Jothan and for the first time since he had known Traya he truly understood who she was and what she represented. He had been blinded by her power and beauty both of which he wanted for himself, but now his eyes were open and if he wanted to become more powerful than her then he needed information and Arquillians had a vast archive on the subject of the force. "Fine… my master…" He mockingly bowed to her and left the thrown room.

Jothan began immediately plotting for his rise to power and the downfall of Darth Traya. The moment he could he took a ship and left Sithari for the Arquillian home world to meet with his clone.

They met at the edge of the system, "My lord what brings you here… if we are caught…" The dopple ganger said.

"Be still…" He barked. "…I want you make preparations to have Kaban cloned and set up a transceiver to receive information from the archives…" Jothan went to window port and stared out into space.

"Has something happened my lord?"

He turned to face his double, "Nothing… get it done…"

After his meeting with his double Jothan began searching for Arquillians who wanted to learn the ways of the force; he found five students to train and hid them in an asteroid belt near the dark place and set up a transmitter so that he could train them through hyper channel in his free time. Then Jothan built them all lightsabers and returned to Sathari; when his ship landed Traya was standing on landing pad waiting.

"Where have you been?" She asked coldly.

"Taking care of my affairs…" He didn't wait or say another word, but left the landing pad and went to the archives and started making copies of the scrolls to send to his new students.

Another month passed and Traya had a seven pound three once girl. Jothan wanted to be there for the birth of his daughter, but Traya wouldn't let him which angered him to no end. Traya named the baby Kreia after her former personality and predecessor. As time passed Jothan rushed the training of his students so that he could face Darth Traya and claim dominion over her academy and his daughter.

For Traya it was both a happy and sad time; happy because of her daughter and sad that Jothan was plotting against her. She loved Jothan but the passion she had for her daughter and her new academy out weighed her love for Jothan. Two more months had passed and Helceck and Ilisa were allowed back into the academy. Harr had surpassed them both in his knowledge of the force and his lightsaber skills. The siblings would have to work hard in order to catch up. Jothan's lessons were another story he was always questioning Traya's training methods and he felt she was withholding knowledge of the force from him. After one session Jothan just walked off, but Traya didn't respond, she was waiting for the day he would make his move.

Jothan left Sithari again without permission and headed to his secret lab on Arqus his home world. There he had four new clones created, clones of himself; these clones could use the force and after having a knowledge transfer they were just as skilled as he was and totally obedient to him.

"Now is the time to strike…" He said to his double who watched over the clan. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes my lord… but I ask you to reconsider…"

"My destiny is at hand… I and my daughter will rule the galaxy and if Darth Traya can't see that then she is a fool…"

Jothan's double watched as he loaded up his star cruiser with his personal soldiers, troops he hand picked himself that were extremely loyal. When the ship left orbit Jothan's double contacted Traya; when her image appeared he bowed, "My lady he is coming with a full heavily armed battalion…"

"You've done well…" Traya replied and her image vanished.

Jothan's double had been replaced with another double; one loyal to Traya and she had the clone made the day after she met Jothan.

Before heading to Sithari Jothan stopped in the asteroid belt to pick up his apprentices, they had learned a lot in the past five months and he was going to sacrifice them to get his daughter and kill Traya.

"I know you have all learned a lot and I am proud to call you my students… we will rule an empire but first we have to remove an obstacle from our path… this obstacle is very powerful and she has taught me everthing I know, but we have numbers on our side and there is strength in numbers… as we travel I have one last lesson to teach you all and it may give us an edge. While Jothan taught them the technique his ship made the jump to light speed.

Traya summoned her three students and the crews of the Inferno and the Atris. She walked the line like a general inspecting her troops; the crew members stood at attention behind her Harr, Helceck, and Ilisa. The sith assasins stood in behind Traya and Gar walked at her side.

"Jothan has betrayed me… and he is coming here with a small army… he wants to take control of my academy and kill us to make his dreams come true… but they will become his nightmare… Jothan has every reason to believe he has the upper hand in this fight and we will let him think that…" Traya stopped in front of Hykell, "You've been with me for some time now and I trust you with my life but Thanus will lead this battle against Jothan's men… he has abilities that will work in our favor…"

"As you say my lady…"

"You will coordinate from the command center… the assasins will protect my daughter and my students will take down Jothan's students… whatever happens Jothan is my mine… dismissed…"

The academy was buzzing with activity in preparation for Jothan's arrival Thanus had the men place themselves in positions near the landing pad. Pordo was armed with blades of every kind and he wore a light armor that covered his chest and he wore a blaster on his right hip. Mandar Fett was fully dressed in his blue mandelorian armor and armed with a heavy repeater.

Jothan's ship was allowed to land and his double walked down the ramp while his men got ready to attack. When the double had left the docking pad Jothan's men came down the ramp shooting and screaming. Thanus waited until all the men were out of the ship and that is when the fire fight started. In the first volley three of Jothan's men went down two of them fell to Fett's heavy repeater. Another three went down by Pordo's blades and that is when the lightsabers switched on five of them wielded by Jothan's apprentices who were attacked by Harr, Helceck, and Ilisa. Harr fought two apprentices, while Helceck fought one, and the other two met Ilisa's double edged lightsaber. She kicked one in the face and spun around and force pushed the other to the ground. Pordo tried to finish the man off but he lost an arm in the attempt, Ilisa jumped over Pordo and kicked the man in the chest. With blazing speed she spun around and took the first man's head off and force choked the second man. Then Ilisa unleashed a force storm into Jothan's men and killed twenty-nine of them.

Harr fought with a lightsaber in each hand; the right was a lightsaber he made himself the second was a lightsaber given to him by Traya. He kicked one man in the gut and rolled across his back force throwing his left handed lightsaber killing the man Helceck was fighting. He saluted Helceck and rolled to his back and cut off the legs of the second man he was fighting. While he was still on the ground Harr blocked the saber of the first man and force pushed him into Helceck who took the man's head off. With all of Jothan's students dead Traya's three students helped Thanus and the men repel the attackers.

Darth Traya sat on her thrown with Gar at her side; the doors opened and in walked the three doubles of Jothan. They stopped five feet from the steps of the thrown and ignited their lightsabers.

"Very clever but it won't help you…" She arrogantly said.

The three Jothan clones extended their hands and threw force lightening at Traya who blocked it with her hand. She threw the currents of energy back at them and on the floor they went convulsing with electric shock. Traya leapt from her thrown and killed one of the clones and blocked an attack from the second with a wave of her hand she used the force cut technique and sliced the second clone from right shoulder to left hip; as Traya went into a flurry of attacks against the last clone the second clone's body made a thud hitting the marble floor. With three slashes of her lightsaber whip Traya cut the last clone into three huge chunks ending the fight. She walked back to her thrown and waited; she didn't have to wait long fourteen minutes later her assasins entered the thrown room dragging Jothan. As they approached Traya narrowed her eyes at the man they dragged across the floor. Her face contorted as she realized that the man they had prisoner was another clone. From Traya's eyes came beams of light that incinerated the clone; she jumped off the thrown and ran across the floor to her suite, but when she got there the doors had been bent open and her room had been ransacked. She slowly walked into the room and with every step her anger grew hotter like a raging inferno ready to explode. Little Kreia was gone her bed was empty and her anger was so hot now that her body began to glow.

"Where are you my little one…" She whispered closing her eyes and Traya began searching the stars making sure she didn't come into direct contact with Jothan. After five minutes she found her daughter and Jothan; they were traveling through hyperspace so she had to wait until they stopped before she could lock in on them and teleport to her daughter. Traya had to wait for another hour before the ship came out of lightspeed and another thirty minutes before they landed and as soon as they landed Traya teleported a distance of one thousand light years.

Jothan had brung his daughter to the asteroid where he had hidden his apprentices to train them. He lay his daughter in a crib and stood over her watching her sleep. "You are safe now little princes…"

The entire complex began to shake and the room filled with a bright red light and when it faded Traya was standing nine feet from Jothan. They stared at each other and Jothan reached for his lightsaber; Traya responded by raising an eyebrow. She raised her hand and with a chopping motion a bright thin flash of blue light cut Jothan in half from his head to the fork of his legs. As Jothan's body fell left and right Traya walked pass the corpse to the baby bed and picked her up and vanished in a bright red flash. When Traya returned to her thrown room on Sathari Thanus and Hykell were waiting with a hundred men and prisoners.

"I have no interest in prisoners kill them all…" She coldly said walking to her thrown and taking a seat. The prisoners were dragged from the thrown room and executed outside. "What is the damage…"

T-Seven made three motorized steps and said, "Minor blaster damage to the landing pad mistress nothing major… we lost thirteen troops and eighteen wounded… we've already begun repairs and the wounded are being looked after…"

"Well done… leave me…"

Traya kept to herself over the next few days because of her mixed feelings about Jothan. She loved him especially for the daughter he gave her and at the same time she hated him because he had betrayed her and forced her hand to kill the father of her child. She morned him for the next two months during which time the academy was completed and finished. At the center of the academy was a huge black pyramid with four obelisks around it. The east dormitories were embedded into the side of the mountain and the west dormitories were embedded into the other mountain both were connected by a breeze walk. The landing pad stretched out over the valley on the back of the mountain with a cover that could stretch out over the landing pad and become a hanger. The archives were beneath the pyramid and the stellar map room was imbedded in the third mountain.

With the completion of the academy Traya decided that it was time to bring in new students and find someone to rebuild the sith order that would take on the Jedi and exact her revenge.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14. New Recruits

Traya summoned her only three students Helcek and Ilisa Sathar and Keb Harr to her thrown room they knelt before her and rose only when she gave them permission too. "I am going on a journey… it is time seek out someone who will rebuild the sith and take them into the future… your destinies lie here with me… you will help me build a sith order here that will rule the unknown regions… I will be gone for a while seeking those worthy of our order and while I am gone you will take your orders from Ilisa… she has my confidence… Do not draw attention to yourselves…"  
>Traya left the thrown room and immediately went to her ship the Inferno and it took off; she brought little Kreia and gar with her. Traya traveled the unknown regions from one end of the region to the other searching for force sensitive individuals to become her students. Within three months Traya had recruited fifty individuals thirty-nine of whom were human and eleven aliens some had come as far as the edge of the outer rim.<p>

When Traya returned Ilisa, Helcek and Harr were waiting on the landing pad along with her followers. As Traya walked down the ramp Ilisa, Helcek, and Harr dropped to one knee and bowed. Impressed by the display Traya dismissed everyone, but Ilisa, Helcek, Harr, and T-Seven, but Hykell whispered something into her ear before he left.  
>"Welcome to the Trayus Academy… you are all here to learn the ways of the sith… the sith live by a code and you will learn that code… those who fall behind will die…" Traya walked in front of the new recruits as they stood in lines of ten one behind the other. Helcek, Ilisa, and Harr stood behind her at attention. "The three you see standing behind me are further along in their studies than any of you and they can help you… but know this I rule here and my power is absolute… your training will begin tomorrow morning an hour before sunrise and an hour before that you have a morning meal… T-Seven here will take care of your room assignments…" Traya looked on the faces of everyone assembled before her and gave most of her attention to the Archnoid. As she left T-Seven began issuing room assignments.<p>

Hykell was waiting in the stellar map room for Traya's arrival; when she entered Helcek, Ilisa, Harr, and Thanus came with her. "Show me…" She barked.

Hykell zoomed in the holomap on the territories the Arquillians had taken from the allies. "The Arquillians are planning to attack the J'Shannii home world… if they take the system that will be the end of the Alien's alliance…"

"The Arquillians are going to catch hell trying to take that system…" Thanus said.

Ilisa looked at him, "…Don't underestimate my people."

"Estimation or not the J'Shannii fall that is the end of the Alliance and the Arquillians win then they turn their attention to the core worlds…"

Traya smirked, "This war is going to last longer than the Arquillians think… tell my spies to begin operation Synotar betrayal and I'm going to use my battle meditation on the J'Shannii…" She looked at Thanus. "What do you think how can we lengthen this war for the Arquillians?"

"An assassination of a high ranking political official will do it… also I wouldn't break up the alliance between the Arquillians and the Synotar at least not yet… if you can make them lose the battle against the J'Shannii…"

"Assassinate a political official… and whom do you have in mind…" Ilisa asked afraid he would suggest her father.

"Someone like Ubann or the High Priest Morban…"

"Why?" Traya asked.

"A new political power needs to rise one that will create an inner conflict… you once told me Ilisa… that your father and many of his allies were against a monarchy what if we inflamed that group…"

Traya started pacing as she considered Thanus' words, "Hykell… change of plans tell our spies to inflame a political group that is against the monarchy…" She turned her attention to Ilisa, "…You are return to your home world I want you to inflame this new political group against the crown and I want you to personally assassinate Ubann and Morban…"

"As you command master…" As they left the stellar map room Ilisa pulled Thanus on the side; "What was that…"

"What do you mean?"

"Assasinate a public official… what if she had said kill my father…"

Thanus sighed, "She wouldn't have given that order, because the Arquillians need a strong charismatic leader especially if they are going to win the war…" She grunted and tried to walk away but he grabbed her by the arm and kissed her passionately to remind her of how he felt about her.

The next day Helcek and Harr conducted the group exercises in calisthenics and stretches. Then they went into group meditation and almost immediately several of the students touched the force. Nine humans, a Twi'lek, an Elomim, and the Arachnoid were the ones who touched the force first. When the meditation exercises were done Traya came into the training room and walked the line of students.

She stopped in front of a human teenager a young boy, "What are the first tenements of the sith code?"

"Yes master… The sith code… peace is a lie there is only passion… through passion I gain strength… through strength I gain power… through power I gain victory… through victory my chains are broken…" The boy smiled, but Traya's face remained emotionless.

"You…" She looked at human girl of fifteen years old, "…What fuels a sith's power…"

"Passion master…"

Traya raised an eyebrow, "Is that all…"

The girl was shamed faced, "Uh… I don't know master…"

Traya walked through the crowd to the Arachnoid, "You answer the question…"

"Yesss master… Our passion fuelssss the force in usss and makesss usss strong… our anger impowers us…"

Traya looked at the Arachnoid he learned fast; she returned to the front and stopped at the second row of students, "You… what are the tenements that make up the Jedi code…" The man was stumped and couldn't find an answer. "Can anyone tell me why a sith needs to know the Jedi code…"

It was the Arachnoid who answered, "Yessss master… because one should know hisss enemiessss…"

Traya was pleased, "That is right…" She left the training area and went to her private meditation chamber where little Kreia was blasting away simulated images of soldiers. It was a game Traya put together to build her reflexes; she had to shoot the soldiers before they crossed the red line. She took the control pad and increased the level adding droids who were armed with personal shield generators. Everyday little Kreia surpassed her score and today was no different. She took off the helmet visor and practiced her meditation with Traya.

"When do we start with lightsaber training…" A young man asked sitting at a table with five other students in the cafeteria.

"I'll be lucky if I make it that far…" Someone else said.

A young girl at the table was stretching her arm at a pitcher it shook and slid across the table and into her hand. "Ha…" She declared.

"Impressive… may I sit…" A young Synotar asked.

"Why don't go over there one eye…" The oldest human at the table said.

The Synotar threw his food tray on the human boy and the boy jumped up and they fought back and forth. The Synotar threw the boy to the floor and struck him with his tail and he kept hitting him with his tail until the boy grabbed a knife and plunged it into the Synotar's tail causing him to howl in pain. "Fight… fight… fight!" The other children screamed as the boy tackled the Synotar. He was about to stab the Synotar in his eye when he started choking and grabbing at his throat for air. The Synotar was afflicted in the same manner; the crowd parted as Helcek walked across the floor.

"That will be enough of that…" He said, "Return to your meals and those of you who are finished leave… now!" The crowd dispersed as Helcek helped the human up, "You what happened and don't lie I will know…" He asked the young girl who had moved the pitcher with the force. In a slow monotone voice the girl explained what happened and what led to the fight. The human was a refugee whose home had been destroyed by the Synotar military in an attack so he was justifiably upset at the presence of the Synotar. "You Synotar are exiled from the academy for three weeks… anger fuels the power of a sith, but if you don't know when to use that anger you'll get yourself killed…" He turned to the human, "…And you self defense is one thing, but next time settle your differences in the arena…"

Fights like that weren't uncommon and it wouldn't be the last, but the students pretty much kept to their studies. Over time groups formed within the academy; their were the black stars as they called themselves a group of students who excelled at everything they did and mastered everything put before them in a matter of minutes. They often received a lesson from Traya herself and were a step above all the other students; they were the meanest and craftiest students in the school. Then there were the grunts as they had been labled these students were learning, but at a slower rate than the others and to protect themselves from the more advanced students they stuck together and did everything together. Then there was the alien core ten of the eleven aliens in the school banded together because no matter what their skill or prowess neither the grunts nor the black stars let them into the fold; the leader of this group was the Synotar. Then there was the loaner as everyone called him; the loaner was the Arachnoid who kept to himself and helped no one nor did he seek help. He was feared by everyone even the Synotar feared him; a couple of the Black Stars tried to jump him for refusing their special offer to join them, but the arachnoid fought his way out. He gained more of a reputation by challenging the leader of the Black Stars, Cornad who got into the fight with the Synotar.

The entire academy stood watching the duel that day, even a few non-force users like Fett, Thanus, Hykell, and Shiorra would come and watch and bet on the out come. Cornad used a broad shock sword; while the Arachnoid used two short swords. They charged each other and a thunderous cheer went up as the melee began. The Arachnoid opened up with a series of speed attacks that would give Harr a run for his money, but Cornad held his own using the force to enhance his speed and at the same time using the Arachnoid's own incredible natural speed against him. Cornad rolled to the ground and went for his legs but the Arachnoid was just too fast he jumped and dropped to his knees whirling his twin blades into a complex pattern of buzzing steel. It was then that Cornad realized that Arachnoid was toying with him; insulted and aggravated he tackled him to the ground and used the force to hold him down.

"You're mine now bug…" He victoriously declared as if he had one the duel, but the arachnoid surprised him by unleashing a devastating wall of force energy that broke his hold on him and threw Cornad across the ring. The crowd was in disbelief as cornad slowly got up and the Arachnoid casualy walked over to him and struck Cornad once in the face twice in the upper abdomen and once on the legs; he fell back to the ground convulsing from the electric shock of the swords.

The Aracnoid looked around the ring and hissed, "Any one else…" No answer came. He turned his attention to the thrown that sat above the rows of benches where Traya sat with little Kreia on her lap. She had been watching the whole time.

It took an entire day for Cornad to recover from the shock swords and when he did; he rejoined the Black Stars, but they had chosen another leader his girl friend Imean who had been planning his down fall for a long time and used her beauty to get close to him. Imean was Ilisa's favorite and she had been coaching her privately. Cornad became enraged and challenged her to a duel, but Imean was ready for him and used a force technique of tricking Cornad into making moves that gave her the advantage in their duel. It was a type of shadow fighting because the students were taught to use the force to see a move before it happened, but they weren't taught how to distinguish a possible move from a sure one and Ilisa taught Imean to use that to her advantage; so it wasn't the fact that Imean was a better fighter it was the fact that she knew something about the force that Cornad didn't. The duel lasted four minutes a new academy record and as Cornad lay writhing on the ground Imean stood over him gloating.

To insure Cornad wouldn't dare challenge her again Imean arranged for the alien core to jump Cornad and even the grunts was bribed to look the other way while poor Cornad was beaten to a pulp. He spent five weeks in the medical bay; his spirit was broken and he no longer had the passion he once had when he was on top of the food chain.

"Your first mistake was challenging the Arachnoid in the first place…" Harr said standing in the doorway of the medical center.

Cornad sat on the edge of the bed with his head down; he had been discharged by the med droid but he was reluctant to leave. "I thought I could beat him…"

"Of course you did…" Harr said standing with his arms folded leaning against the door, '…I would believe it too if I had a siren like Imean in my ear as well…"

Harr's words swirled around in his head and he put two and two together as the whole scenario played out in his mind his anger began to rise and it felt as if the temperature in the room had changed. "That two faced space slug I will kill her…"

"No you will calm down and then I will show you how to get your revenge…"

He interrupted Harr, "On Imean, Drall, and the Arachnoid…" Drall was the name of the Synotar

Harr left the doorway and walked across the medical bay, "…Imean and Drall are one thing …you don't want to dance with the Arachnoid again…"

"Why not…"

"Because I would have to teach you things you aren't ready for and if I did the master would punish me severely for it…"

Confussion marked Cornad's face, "Why…"

"Because the mistress wants all of you learning at the same rate…"

"Ha… it seems the Arachnoid has all the advantages…"

Harr stopped him, "That is because of who he is and his species… Arachnoids are naturally quick learners and they have a natural speed almost as fast as force speed… so imagine the kind of fighter you would face if the Arachnoid enhanced his speed with the force…"

The thought overwhelmed Cornad, "But what can I do?'

"I think you know the answer to that…" Cornad tried but he couldn't put his hand on it, "Come on think… think about your fight with the Arachnoid…"

The images came to his mind as Cornad thought of that day; then it dawned on him. "His speed… his speed is his weakness…"

"Very good…"

Cornad jumped off the bed and they started walking through the academy, "There were times in our fight I used his speed against him… it threw him off but he still was an awesome fighter…"

"And he has yet to reach his full potential…" Cornad was about to ask something else but Harr stopped him, "…enough about the Arachnoid; it will take time to gather the proper strength in order to defeat him… so we will focus on Imean and Drall… I will help you but if you fail me the punishment will very bad…"

That caused Cornad to stop and shudder, "I won't fail you master…"

Harr smiled, "I like the sound of that, but I am not a master yet…"

Cornad would go to the group practices then every other day he would study in private with Harr sometimes away from the academy. Harr had Cornad watch Imead for her strengths and weaknesses when it came to swordsmanship. He also had Cornad strengthen his endurance because the students were currently being taught to go for the quick win or opening. He also taught Cornad how to gather his strength for one all out force attack that would cripple an opponent in one move.

"You have all mastered the Shii-Cho form of lightsaber techniques or form one…" Traya said walking the front row of students, "…now you will begin to learn form two… the Makashi technique this form helps you to develop unique offenses and defenses against having your sabers taken from your hand or damaged…" She looked at Helcek, Ilisa and Harr and nodded to them, "…You may begin."

As the students began with the simple motions of the Makashi style Traya left and spent her day training little Kreia who was already able to lift objects in the force five times her size. When the lessons were over Cornad entwined his arm into Janeo's arm she was pretty but she was a grunt and Cornad was using her to make Imean jealous. Janeo didn't care she always had a crush on Cornad and she was using this to get close to him.

They were walking out of the garden heading for the cafeteria when Imean blocked their path with two other students, "Slumming Cornad you use to have better taste than that…"

"Or maybe my tastes have improved… a person can only take so much sweet and sour in their mouths for so long…"

Cornad took a lot of pleasure in her facial expressions, "Or maybe your willing to have anything even if you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel for it…"

By now everyone but the Arachnoid had stopped to watch the confrontation, "That is why he left you for better things…"

"I wasn't speaking to you… you little schutta…"

"Only someone with no class would resort to such language…" Cornad said who was smiling to himself because Imean was loosing control with every minute.

"Fine you want to settle this in the ring…"

"Why would I want to challenge someone who won't even face the Arachnoid in the ring…"

Imean took a step back and smiled because she now realized what Cornad was trying to do; it was the same thing she did to him. "If you are afraid to face me then say so and I will spare you by withdrawing my challenge…"

Cornad just shrugged, "It's no challenge, but I accept…"

Once again the entire Academy gathered for a duel in the ring, everyone but Traya who was busy giving instructions to her spies throughtout the region. Even the Arachnoid came to watch, bets were made throughout the crowd and the majority of the bets were in Imean's favor.

Imean filled herself up with the force for protection, agility, speed, and foresight. While Cornad focused on protection and counter foresight the rest of his energy he slowly built up for his devastating attack. They charged each other at the same time and their weapons met in mid air with a loud sparking clang. The crowd let out a cheer as they exchanged a complex series of blows, but Cornad imeediately spotted the weakness in her fighting style it was her fighting stance. Imean didn't switch feet she always went one foot one foot when she fought, so when she parried an attack Cornad did a spin sweep and down to the floor she went. With a savage cry Cornad raised his sword over her, but Imean blocked it and shoved his sword to the side and stuck both feet up and kicked him to the ground. Cornad never touched the ground he used the force to correct himself in mid air and landed on his feet. Imean jumped up and surprised Cornad and the crowd by switching in between the Shii-Cho and the basic moves of the Makashi incorporating both styles into each other; she also began flashing his foresight with false images, but Cornad wasn't buying it this time because he was only trying to counter moves that she actually responded to. As the fight dragged on Imean was becoming more and more frustrated and the only thing keeping her in the game was the fact that she was switching styles. She managed to knock his sword from his hand, but Cornad threw out his hands and tried to force push Imean but she put up her hand at the last minute and the two became locked in a force battle. As they pushed against one another the crowd whisteled and cheered some even started chanting their names. Cornad decided to pull back because he was using more force power than he wanted and he was saving it for a grand finally. He was shoved back seven feet and hit the floor with a hard thump. Imean immediately leapt after him but Cornad rolled to the side jumped to his feet and whacked Imean across the back sending her to the floor, as she writhed in pain he casually walked up to her and kicked her in the ribs, but he didn't finish her. He let Imean regain some of her strength, he watched with delight as she slowly got up.

"You should have ended it…" She said through chattering teeth.

Imean let out a savage scream and poured all her anger, passion, and hate into one force attack and unleashed it on Cornad. He took the brunt of the blow and was thrown to the other side of the arena where he lay still like a sand viper ready to strike. Cornad's force barrier had held up in the onslaught of Imean's power and he released the barrier after hitting the wall to give the impression Imean had beaten him.

"Fool…" She said sauntering over to where Cornad was. When Imean was in reach of his feet he clipped her causing her to stumble forward face first into the wall; he stuck out his hand calling his sword and struck her several times on her head torso and for good measure he broke her knee. The crowd watched Imean's body collapse to the floor and convulse and writh unvoluntarily. Pretending to be more weary than he really was Cornad staggered to the center of the ring and pointed his sword at Drall.

"You… you one eyed freak… we have unfinished business…"

The crowd was in shock it wasn't a surprise to see two fights in one day, but not from the same opponenent. Drall put his head back and laughed, "You are in no condition to fight…"

"If your scared why don't you ask one of those freaks who follow you around like a tarmian pup begging for a suck from his mother's tit…"

That did it everyone in the crowd who was force sensitive could feel Drall's rage, "I'm going to finish what the Arachnoid started…" Drall leapt over the wall his double edged shock sword in hand. When Drall's feet hit the arena he ran across the arena at full speed and Cornad just stood there until he was few feet from him. Cornad threw out his hand and unleashed the power he had been building up. The force blast struck Drall shattering his force barrier and breaking several bones in his body; Drall hit a droid who was picking up Imean's unconscious body causing the droid to drop the body. The onlookers watched in disbelief as Cornad walked across the arena and struck Drall in the head for good measure. He then sheathed his sword and left the arena with all eyes on him. Cornad stopped by the Arachnoid and just looked at him.

"Anytime…" The Arachnoid said.

Cornad didn't respond, but he just walked off and with his victory Cornad regained his place as leader of the Black Stars and he took Jeano under his wing and made her a member. As for Imean she was kicked out of the Black Stars and reluctantly joined the grunts. Drall retained his place as leader of the alien core. During the next few days Cornad drew the attention of Darth Traya who rewarded him by giving him level four access to the archives. A level only held in the academy by Harr, Helcek and Ilisa; after group practice Cornad stood in front of the main viewer greedily looking at the knowledge of lightsaber forms three and four. He especially made notes about style flowing which was changing from one style to another.

"Be careful you don't get a big head…" Harr said standing behind Cornad, "…I've been studying as a sith from the day I was born and I've seen it happen too often…"

Cornad turned to face him a little aggravated he was receiving advice from a nine year old when he was fifteen about to turn sixteen. "Are you saying I'm not ready to face the Arachnoid…"

Harr didn't respond instead he walked up to Cornad and gave him a fancy box, "Your achievements haven't gone unnoticed as you are aware of…"

Cornad took the box and opened it and when he did he gasped because inside the box was a lightsaber. He couldn't speak, "…You have a test coming up and if you pass you will be given the rank of teacher student …I put my neck out for you don't make me regret it."

"I won't…"

"Good now one last piece of advice… if I were you I'd focus my studies on lightsaber form four and the flowing technique for your test…"

As time went on Cornad grew in strength and popularity; and after three weeks the time came when Cornad would face his test; it was night time and all the students were bedded down for the night. Jeneo lay in bed next to Cornad.

"You need to sleep…" She said lying in his chest.

"I will sleep better after tomorrow's test…"

She smiled, "Well whatever happens know that I love you…"

He grunted, "The last girl to tell me that tricked me into fighting the Arachnoid…"

"I am not Imean…"

He kissed her on the cheek, "I know… and I love you as well…"

The next morning Cornad found himself facing an assassin who was armed with a lightsaber as well. They ignited their blades and the duel began which lasted an hour and three minutes with Cornad as the victor. Traya was watching the entire fight with little Kreia and when the fight was over She clapped entering the ring. "Take a knee…" She ordered. Cornad obeyed and Traya ignited her lightsaber and brought the energy blade down to both shoulders. "From this day forward you will be a student teacher with all the rights and responsibilities…"

Cornad had been elevated to Harr, Helcek, and Ilisa's rank as a student teacher who aided Traya and lead group exercises. When Cornad stood next to Harr, Helceck, and Ilisa to instruct the students in meditation, combat, war theory, sith history, and hand to hand combat the other students were surprised.

"Take a good look…" Helcek said, "…This is what comes of hard work and cunning going beyond your teachings… and taking them apart to rise as a student in this academy…"

They began with their exercises going over everything they had learned and then adding new things to their repartee. The group sessions were starting to get longer and more intense and if a lesson wasn't taken properly punishment was used. Traya would sometimes lead the exercises but most of the time she was overseeing the war. Every now and then she would check in on what was happening in the core with the Jedi and Darth Zoarn. The civil war on Corellia was winding down in favor of the Jedi and Darth Zoarn's army was equal to that of the Galatic Republic and soon he would try to attack the Republic. It was time for Traya to unleash her weapon upon the galaxy a weapon that would get her revenge for her and insure the future of the sith. Traya began making preparations like creating a holocron her vassal would use in his missions and a holocron that would be inherited by future sith. She began preparing a training schedule for the one who would accomplish this.  
>("Now to choose my weapon…") Traya said to herself. She thought Harr would make a perfect weapon against the Jedi he certainly had the passion for it, but he was still young and it would be a while before he reached a desent age. She considered Ilisa but Ilisa's destiny was at the academy and Helcek wouldn't do either. After mentally running through all the students there was one student that stood out from all the others and that was the Arachnoid. ("He will serve my purpose…") Traya thought to herself<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15. The Training of Darth Arachni

Arachnoids were insect like humanoids with hard exoskeletons and eight limbs. Their legs and arms were the same length and their four extra arms were extremely short in fact they were a half a foot long and held close to their bodies. Arachnoids were eight feet tall and came in two colors black and brown their faces were oblong with two antennae coming out the tops of their heads; their eyes were like two huge black orbs half the size of a human fist, with a patch of cartilage that slid across the eyes as an eyelid. Arachnoids had thin hairs growing on their arms and legs; their hands had three fingers and one thumb and on their feet were two huge toes. Arachnoids lived in a hive like society with one female as the queen who ruled over the entire race and gave birth to everyone in the hive. Their home world was a swamp world named Breal; Arachnoids were technologically advanced race but lived underground and the only time they wore garments was during war.

The Arachnoid Traya recruited for the academy was an exile of one hundred and twenty-nine years old. He had been roaming the galaxy from place to place when Traya felt the force inside him and invited him to join her. The Arachnoids had a language that could not be translated into basic, but they could speak basic. Traya had insisted that he wear an iniate uniform or the clothes of an apprentice. It was the middle of the week and an hour until sunset and the students were inside a large room sitting at a terminal creating a gate keeper for a holocron. Harr was overseeing the exercise and as the students worked he walked around the room checking their progress.

"Alright that is enough… we are finished for the day… tomorrow you will spend the first half of the day in training and the other half you will spend it in the archives… dismissed…" As the students shut down their terminals Harr walked up to the Arachnoid whom they started referring to as Ar because his name couldn't be translated. "Ar… the mistress wants to see you in her private meditation chamber…"

Ar made his way to the meditation chamber on the forty-ninth floor of the pyramid fortress. When he got off the turbo-lift he walked down a dimly lit hallway to the black doors at the end of the hall and before he could hit the bell chime the door opened. "Come… come in…" Traya said.

Ar entered the room and dropped to one knee, "Master… we have come asss you ordered…"  
>"Rise…" He obeyed and finally noticed little Kreia who was now four years old. Traya stared at him for a few seconds before speaking, "Tell me my young Arachnoid… Do you believe in destiny…"<p>

"Not really master… we believe what will happen will happen…"

She raised her eyebrow, "Is that an Arachnoid philosophy?"

"Yess Master…"

"But you are studying to use the dark side…" When Traya said dark side Kreia looked at her confused, but she didn't ask the question that was on her mind, because she was taught to ask questions but she was also taught to hear the whole thing out before forming an opinion; so she would wait. "…Visions will come to you and you can use that information to better your situation."

"True our lady, but what doessss it matter because if our choicesss forge the future we are looking at what does it matter essspecialy when beingsss change their mindsss quit often…"

Traya mulled over his words, "So you have no goals…"

"We take life asss it comesss master…"

"Well what if I told you that you have been chosen to be my vassal in the core worlds… that you will be the catalyst for all future sith…"

Her words swam in his mind and slowly he began to turn from the beliefs he had just told her, "But we thought you were the future of the sith…"

"No I am the preserver of the sith teachings this place will always stand as a place where sith can come to gain knowledge…"

"What if we said no…"

These words shocked Kreia and even more shocking was Traya's response, "…I would find another, but you should except and if you do I will take you under my wing and teach you things the rest of the students only dream about… also you will be the vessel of my revenge against my enemies…"

"We will accept if you allow ussss to get vengeance on our queen…"

"Oh I think that can be arranged… you truly are worthy to be my apprentice… Report to me tomorrow morning after your morning meals…"

Early the next morning after breakfast Ar met with Traya at the mouth of the valley where two war droids were watching over Kreia as she took instruction from a holocron. "Forget everything you've learned about the force…" Traya said walking around Ar as he stood at attention. "…I am going to take apart everything you think you know and put it back together."

Traya began with hand to hand combat and despite his speed he couldn't land one lick on Traya. They fought for hours and when they finished Traya had Ar meditate for the next four hours; focusing on dividing his mind in between several objects. Traya then taught Ar how to flow from style to style. When they were done she had him meditate for the rest of the day.

Harr, Helcek, and Ilisa sat together in their common room talking when Cornad came in. "The Arachnoid wasn't at practice today…"

"So…" Harr replied.

"So where was he?"

Harr sighed, "Master Traya is training him… personally…"

"Why…"

Before Cornad came in the three of them were talking about the war, Helcek and Ilisa stopped because Cornad was getting angry. "It's none of our business really… you should remember your place…"

"My place… I want my vengeance…"

"Don't be a fool of everyone in here I'm probably the only one who could take the Arachnoid…"

Ilisa was offended and jumped up, "I beg your pardon… you think you are stronger than me…"

"Ilisa…" Helcek warned, but she ignored him.

"I have more experience than you…"

"You want to test that in the arena?" She asked.

"Guys drop it… what would the master say of us fighting amongst ourselves, besides if the two of you combined your power the Arachnoid wouldn't stand a chance…" Helcek said.

His words caused Ilisa and Cornad to look at each other, "He has a point…" Cornad said.

"I have to think about it…" She replied then left the room.

Cornad stared at Harr for a few seconds before he left the room, "You are more devious than I thought…" Harr said, "…This may blow up in your face…"

"My sister needs to be taken down a peg or two…"

While Ilisa and Cornad plotted against the Arachnoid his studies continued under the guiding hand of Traya. The first force technique Traya taught Ar was the force crush technique; a technique that was similar to the force choke; except that in force crush the force was used to grab every bone in the body and break it at the same time. Ar mastered this technique in a matter of hours. She also taught him how to use battle meditation in order to weaken a superior force user and he learned to redirect the force energy of others.

Traya handed Ar a double edge weapon, "You are a concert swordsman with dual hand swords, but with your speed I think you will benefit more by being a double blader…"

"I wish to learn all the styles and techniques master…"

Traya smiled, "And so you will…"

They begun immediately going through the motions and then they went into mock sword combat. As usual little Kreia was there watching and learning; in her mind she decided it was time to ask her master a question. When Ar was out of hearing range and gone Kreia went right up to Traya, "Master…"

She looked down at the girl, "…Yes little one."

"You have always taught me not to put restraints on the force… and those who did were fools… you taught me that there was only the force… so why do you teach the Arachnoid about the dark side? When according to you there is no dark side…"

"Why do you think…"

Kreia put her head down and thought about the subject intensely, "The only answer I can think of master is that the Arachnoid will serve your purpose and when you are done he will die…"

"Is that all…"

Kreia went into thought again, "Well the ultimate knowledge gives you a power above the other sith and if any of them rose against you they would fail miserably… this applies to the Arachnoid as well when he finishes his mission he will probably try to overthrow you…"

She scooped the girl up in her arms, "Very good… you've learned your lessons well…"

"But master you also told me that the Trayus academy was to preserve the sith teachings…"

"Yes because I choose to be a sith… and while I have the passion I am not ruled by that passion… that is what gives you and me an edge above all other Jedi and Sith…"

"And one day I will take your place and become the new Darth Traya…"

"Yes one day you will overthrow me…"

Traya had the droids pack their stuff up and return to the academy where Traya and Kreia had dinner together then they practiced deflecting blaster bolts. The next day Traya had Ar practice lightsaber forms one through five all day, little Kreia wasn't there because Traya allowed the girl to do what she wanted that day. They ended their practice an hour before sunset and as Ar got ready to leave Traya took out a box and a holocron.

"I have something for you…" She handed him the box first, "…In there is everything you will need to build you a double edge lightsaber and this is your holocron… it possesses everything you have already learned and everything you will learn… it also possesses knowledge you will use to complete your mission…"

"Thank you master…"

When Ar got to his room a private room he had been given after becoming Traya's apprentice he immediately began putting together his double edge lightsaber. He started with saber's skeleton and inner mechanisms, and added the emitter and dual charge cases. The saber held four crystals two for each end of the saber and finally he placed the casing and it was complete in three hours. He ignited the weapon and two crimson blades sprouted from each end. After switching off the lightsaber Ar turned on the holocron and found a gate keeper that looked like Traya.

"Greetings young sith what can I teach you today?"

"Show me form six of lightsaber combat…"

"One moment…" The gate keeper vanished and a hologram of a Doppler appeared making the basic moves of form six. "Form six or Niman which is commonly used by the Jedi… Form VI seeks to balance the emphases of forms I through V. Niman allows a Jedi to fight with harmony and justice without having to resort to powerful, aggressive movements or overt emotion... the Sith adopted this form only as a basis for its sister the more aggressive form of Juyo form seven…" Ar practiced his moves until midnight and then went to bed.

The next morning Traya began Ar's lessons in force lightening a lesson he picked up quickly and in a matter of minutes Ar had a raging storm flowing from both his hands. She taught him the finer points of meditation and how to force bind another force users powers. He learned to guard his mind and see through force illusions as well.

While Ar was learning the ways of the dark side Ilisa and Cornad were sneaking around in Ar's room. "We have to hurry…" Ilisa said.

"He is no match for us and if he finds us in his room the two of us can teach him a lesson he will never forget…"

Ilisa closed her eyes then opened them and searched the room with force sight and smiled, "Well look what we have here…" she went to a nook in the wall and pressed the button and a section of the wall slid aside and inside was the sith holocron.

"A holocron… that bug has a holocron…" Cornad snatched up the holocron.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Taking my destiny…"

"We don't have to do that all…"

He interrupted her, "Don't be a coward… we take this and he will have to come and get it from us…" She agreed and they took the holocron and went to a meditation room where they got a few pointers on the force.

When Ar returned to his room he immediately felt something wrong and his anger began to boil over. Ar stormed across the room and looked in the nook on the wall; ("It'ssss gone…") He thought to himself. Now Ar had been taught how to search the force for auro's and immediately he felt the culprits. ("It isss time we settled this Cornad…")

The next morning all four teacher students were leading the group excercises when Ar stormed into the training area in the garden and stood three feet from Cornad allowing his rage and anger to be felt by everyone.

"You have something that belongsss to us…" His rage and anger could be felt by everyone present.

"Are you accussing me of something?" Cornad asked turning to face him.

"Yessss we are… return it and we will spare your life…" He looked at Ilisa, "…And hers."

"How dare you…" Ilisa said.

The students stood there in silence as the confrontation unfolded, "We challenge the two of you in the arena…" Ar said as a ripple of shock went through the crowd of students because no one has ever challenged two students at once.

"I accept…" Cornad arrogantly said.

"So do I…" Ilisa said.

Everyone in the academy came to the dueling arena to see this fight and the credits that were being bet were the highest bets ever made. When Thanus enetered the arena he looked at the Arachnoid then at Ilisa and Cornad then he walked up to Traya who was already sitting on her thrown with Kreia in her lap.

He bowed, "My lady may I speak with you…"

"Certainly…"

He stepped closer and whispered, "I beg you stop this…"

"Why should I?"

"That arachnoid is going to kill them…"

Traya smirked, "They are too valuable to allow Ar just to kill them, but I am training them to be sith and they must settle their own problems like this…"

"But you command here and your command is absolute… tell them to return the Arachnoid's property…"

"You love the girl… don't fear for her safety she won't die…"

Aggravated Thanus ran into the arena right up to Ilisa, "What are you doing… Don't fight him… the two of you don't stand a chance…"

"We can handle it…" Cornad arrogantly said.

"I love you please don't fight him…"

Thanus' kept saying the same thing as the assassins dragged him out of the arena. The Arachnoid shocked the crowd by revealing his double edge lightsaber as he got ready by putting up his force defenses Traya's powerful mind touched his mind. ("Embarrass them and break them down, but do not kill them…")

("Assss you command master…") He replied mentally.

Ilisa and Cornad ignited their lightsabers and charged Ar, but he started with a devastating lightening attack a force technique most of the students had not seen, only heard off. They blocked the lightening with their lightsabers, the energy blades crackled and hissed as they were struck by energy. Ilisa jumped up into the air flipped and landed next to Ar she swung the right side of her double blade, but Ar blocked it with the left and spun around to slash her in the back as she rolled to the ground receiving a small scratch in her clothes. By now Cornad had closed the distance between him and Ar; he flipped over Ar and tried to cut him in the back, but Ar simply raised his weapon over his head arching his arms and blocked the attack and the three way melee began with Cornad attacking high and Ilisa attacking low. Despite their skill and improvisation they couldn't land a blow on the Arachnoid whose speed was incredible and both Ilisa and Cornad tried to use that speed against him but Ar was flowing from one style to another keeping them both off balance.

Ar spun around and force punched Cornad in the face and sweeping Ilisa's feet from under her. They jumped up at the same time and Cornad tried to drop kick Ar while Ilisa slid across the floor trying to kick his knees out, but Ar leapt side ways while spinning in between them. When he landed on his feet Ar ignited his lightsaber and brought the fight to them backing them up to the wall. Cornad rolled to the ground and came up on Ar's side he swung but Ar blocked the attack and Ilisa moved in; before she could get to him Ar raised his hand and unleashed a force wave that threw Cornad one way and Ilisa the other. Ilisa was able to correct herself in the air and land on her feet. She jumped twenty feet into the air and landed next to Cornad.

"Together…" She yelled. They combined their force strength and imprisoned Ar in a wall of force energy, but Ar broke their prison and grabbed them both in the force; he raised his hands and as he did they rose into the air and when he brought his hands together he slammed Cornad and Ilisa into each other and dropped them to the floor of the arena. Ilisa jumped up and threw out her hand unleashing force lightening at Ar who caught the lightening with his hand and threw it back at Ilisa amplified four times she was hit and thrown to the floor and there she lay. Cornad did a back cartwheel and landed next to Ilisa and poured energy into her and with that energy she was able to get up and fight.

They stood side by side with their weapons drawn as Ar approached them, but the fight didn't last much longer; after five moves Ar severed Cornad's hand and Ilisa's leg and as they writhed in pain on the floor he removed the holocron from Cornad's robe. He looked at the students gathered and turned and shocked the two of them. Hearing her screams of torment caused Thanus to jump over the rail and he ran to Ilisa's side.

"That's enough you've won…" He pleaded.

The Arachnoid said something intangible in his language and left the arena; from that moment on no one ever underestimated him again. Both Ilisa and Cornad spent the next three days in the infirmary recuperating with Thanus at Ilisa's side.

"The two of you made a very foolish mistake…" Traya said standing over them. "…The two of you are exiled for a month."

While Ilisa and Cormad were in exile Traya intensified Ar's training; she had him dual against the assasins sometimes two and four at a time. Ar won most of his duals at least seven out of ten depending on how many he fought. If he fought three he won, but if it was four and five that was what gave him trouble. As time went on his skills improved and soon Ar won every dual no matter how many assasins he fought.

"Now you face me…" Traya said.

Their fight was intense it was furious and Traya pushed him to his limits; Ar began using moves from form seven incorporating them into his attacks and he finally managed to cut a piece of cloth from Traya's robes. "Enough…" Ar was breathing heavy but he had held his own, "…You are reaching your true potential and I am impressed."

"Thank you master…"

"I want you to study beast control technique… it will help you in your revenge against the queen of your hive…"

It took Ar two days to learn the force technique and when he was done Traya sent him on his quest for revenge. He took a star fighter to his home world of Breal where he landed his ship in the bog lake on the southern continent; in the center of the lake was an island where he landed.

Like Dagobah the planet was teaming with life and one of the creatures on the planet were the bog to which the lake was named after. Bogs were huge horned lizard like creatures heavily armored and omnivorous. Ar sat in the center of the island and with his mind he summoned the bogs in the lake.

The Arachnoid hive queen was over nine hundred years old and was attached to her ovarian sack laying eggs the queen was sixteen feet tall and communicated with her drones through telepathy. The Arachnoids cared nothing for the allies or their war with the growing Arquillian Empire. She had banished Ar because of his merging force abilities and saw him as a threat to her rule; so she exiled him from the home world. The next queen was still in her egg and wouldn't hatch until she chose someone to seed the egg. The drones spent most of their time digging new tunnels to expand the hive or they were creating some new technology.

The drones were busy building a new egg chamber when an earth quake began to shake the hive and a bog smashed through the wall. The Arachnoids grabbed their B9-blasters and started fighting as the hive was swarmed by more bogs who were capable of tunneling through solid rock and stone.

["My lady… the bogs are over running the hive city…"] Her royal vizier said.

["Someone is controlling them… secure the royal egg and my chamber…"]

The royal guard wore gold and black armor and they were armed with staff swords the weapons fired laser tipped blades from the end of the staffs. Over a hundred guards protected the queen and two hundred guarded the royal egg. The entrance to the royal chamber shook and in burst Ar through the smashed doors; as he entered the chamber he threw his hands out at the attacking guards and he unleashed a storm of force lightening at them. The hive queen was now defenseless and Ar savored the moment as she tried to use her telepathy to control his mind.

["You banished me, but I have returned more powerful than ever…"]

["I am queen kill me if you wish but you will never leave here alive…"]

Ar didn't reply he grabbed her in the embrace of the force crush technique and with the close of his hand she was broken. He left the royal chamber and made his way to the royal egg chamber where he seeded the egg after killing the guards and the egg immediately hatched. He took the young queen by the head and took control of her mind and because of his actions the Arachnoid race was under control of the sith.

When Ar returned to Sithari he went to the thrown room where Traya was waiting for him. He dropped to one knee and bowed, "It isss done master… and the new queen isss under your control…"

"You've done well my apprentice… you are ready to do my biding, but there is one more thing you must learn before you go on your journey… and that is the force technique of force teleporting… it will help you in your fight against the Jedi…" Traya took the next two days to properly teach him the technique and when he mastered it she met with him one last time. "You have reached your full potential and have trained faster than any sith ever… from now on you may refer to yourself as Darth Arachni sith lord… you may rise Lord Arachni…" Darth Arachni stood up, "Now I will give you a list of the Jedi that must die at your hand only after they have died will you be free from my command…" a holographic image of the Jedi appeared who Traya wanted dead was projected into the air. "This woman is Grand Master Jedi Bastilla Shan… she has battle meditation, don't underestimate her… of the Jedi you will face the most powerful will be Jedi Master Visas Marr… she was the apprentice of Darth Nihilus and she was turned by the exile…" Traya's death list included Jedi Masters Bao Durr, Atton Rand, Juhanni, Jolee Bindo, and Brianna.

"What they lack in power they make up for in experience…"

"When do we leave master?"

"You will leave tomorrow, but first I have one last gift…" She gave him body armor that was twisted, black and red with spikes on the right shoulder and spikes on the left forearm. The armor covered his arms, legs, and had four openings for his six inch arms. She also gave him a sith lord's robe to wear over it.

"We will not fail you…"

"I know…"

Mandar Fett had been summoned to Traya's private meditation room, "You wanted to see me my lady…"

"Yes… you have gone as far with me as you can, your destiny lies in the core and your bloodline will influence future events…"

"There are things happening with my people and I need to be there…"

"Good it is settled… tomorrow you will leave with Darth Arachni…" Fett bowed and left the meditation room to pack.

An hour before sunrise the star ship fire star had been fully supplied and stocked for departure Kreia saw them off standing on the landing pad as the ship took off.

In order to lengthen the war for the Arquillians Traya ordered the Arachnoids to attack Arquillian targets with their black widow star fighters and their stinger class warships.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16. Death List

It took five months to reach the outer rim for Darth Arachni and Mandar Fett. When they reached Tatooine they parted ways. "Where are you heading…" Fett asked.

"We are going to Kashyyyk… there we will find our pray… and you…"

"To Magar…" They interlocked arms and Fett drove off to the new space port Mose Isely while Darth Arachni blew up his ship and headed towards Anchorhead.

Darth Arachni arrived in town on a speeder bike and went to the Czerka corporate office to buy a new long range ship. Traya had given the sith lord five million credits to help with his endeavors and he bought a brand new ship fresh off the assembly line. The ship was of Rodian design fast and durable for all the traveling Arachni would be doing. The ship he bought was heavily armored and designed after a Rodian's head.

When Arachni entered the Two Suns Cantina everyone knew who he was from the way he was dressed and the weapon dangling from his belt, but Darth Arachni was unlike any alien they had ever seen before.

"May I help you sir…" The bartender asked nervously.

"We need a holozine… and give ussss a sand blaster in a chilled glasssss on the house…"

"Yes sir…" The bartender gave him the holozine first then he made the drink. The headlines read that the Solo family had been assassinated and that former Supreme Chancellor Balhorn had gone into hiding, but a huge bounty was out on his head. Other headlines read the Jedi envolvement in the crack down of Hutt influence in Republic space. There was also a report about the Chancellor/Jedi initiative to explore the unknown regions. Darth Arachni stood up from the bar without paying for drink he ordered and crossed the floor and stood in front of a table where two humans were flirting with two female Twi'leks.

They kept their heads down as the sith lord stood over them, "You… you seem like a man who sellssss information…"

The man he spoke to was an ordinary looking man who worked as a star pilot transporting clients from one place to another. "Well my lord…" The man said keeping his head down, "I would never tell anyone in the core about you…"

"Yesssss you will and we will pay you two hundred and fifty thousand credits to travel to Coruscant and tell the Jedi you saw ussss…" Before the man could reply Arachni pulled out several banking cards; five with worth fifty thousand credits each. "…You will leave now."

"Yes sir…" The man replied jumping up, "…Sorry ladies but uh… we need to leave… Jasper lets get the ship up and running…" Darth Arachni made sure the man had left before he took off on his new long range ship.

Across the sands hundreds of miles from Anchorhead was the new star port Mos Eisely's space port. The space port had been built by the _ Corporation, but the Hutts were slowly taking control of Tatooine through bribes and taking control of coporate loans. It was here that Mandar Fett came to get news on his people because the Mandelorian remnant had been driven from Dxun by the Onderonians. He entered a cantina called beggar's canyon and looked at the rough looking patrons in the cantina. Some were mercenaries others were bounty hunters, assassins and a few smugglers, but a tall woman with a demanding presence caught his attention. The woman had an air of command about her and Fett knew who she was from the first time he had seen her; the woman was Hapan.

Mandalorians were tricked into invading the Hapan sector by Revan during the war. The Hapan system was considered weak because it was a female dominated society and the women wouldn't or couldn't stand against the superior forces of the Mandalorians. They were wrong and payed dearly for it, but it wasn't the only thing that caught his attention; the eight heavily armed men walking in from the other entrance caught his attention as well.

("Dam… bounty hunters.") He thought to himself.

"Bar Keep a round of drinks and the lady is buying…" The leader said.

"I think you have me confused with some slut you use to date…" The Hapan said.

"Look fella's I don't want any trouble in my place the drinks are on the house…" The bar tender nervously said.

"Shut up…" A Barabel said.

"We have the right woman… Liorran Hapes former chief assistant to the former Supreme Chancellor Victor Balhorn… Liorran hired assassin to kill the current Queen Mother of the consortium… Failed in the attempt now she has a bounty on her head of one point five million credits… No you're not an old girl friend you're my next meal ticket…"

She put her drink down and faced the man and his associates, but the leader pulled out a blaster. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to give you a chance to walk away…"

They all laughed and surrounded her, "You can make a move… it will be your last…"

The man's hand was grappled and he let out a cry as he was dragged across the floor and kicked in the face by Fett. Who shot two men in the head giving Liorran a chance to pull a dagger and stab the Barabel in the roof of his mouth before he could bite her. Then she tackled another man in the group and turned him over placing him on top of her and used him as a human shield from the blaster fire of the remaining bounty hunters. She used the dead man's gun and took down two of the remaining bounty hunters while the rest were shot by Fett.

The fight caused a bigger fight in the bar, but Fett unleashed a gas grenade into the bar and grabbed Liorran and lead her out of the bar. She was coughing and gagging all the way to an abandoned whare house.

"Here…" He gave her a stimulant to help with the coughing.

"Thanks…" she said after the coughing stopped and pulled out a hold out blaster, "…But I don't need help from a Mandalorian grunt."

"I just saved your life…"

"You call gasing me saving my life…"

He took off his helmet and set it down, "…If I was trying to capture you I wouldn't have given you the stimulant."

She considered his words before lowering the weapon, "What's your name?"

"Mandor Fett… of the clan Fett… and you."

"The names Liorran… I need to get out of here before more bounty hunters show up…"

"What if we faked your death and I collected the bounty… it would get the bounty hunters off your back and I'd split the credits with you…"

She smiled, "Sixty forty…"

He took a step towards her, "Fifty… fifty…"

She took a step closer as well, "…Fifty-five …forty-five."

"Fifty-fifty…" He repeated as they kissed each other.

"For a Mando you're not a bad kisser…"

"I'm good at a lot of things…"

"We'll have to find out later…"

It took two hours to set up the scam and Liorran returned to her ship and took off after she was scanned by the port security. The ship was being operated by remote so Liorran snuck out of the ship via the landing gear and into the grease pit. The ship was sixteen hundred feet in the air when it exploded and Fett stole another ship and met with Liorran outside the city and they took off to go and collect the bounty.

The easiest target on Darth Arachni's death list to find was Jolee Bindo who was on Kashyyyk. Jolee Bindo was a no non-sense Jedi who told it how it was and did whatever was needed to do in order to get the job done. Jolee loved the Wookie people and the culture their sence of honor and tradition; after his adventures with Revan, Bastilla and the crew of the Ebon Hawk he returned to Kashyyyk and aided his wookie friends in rebuilding their world after Czerka corporation tried to enslave and destroy them. Jolee was offered a seat on the council, but he refused and brought his apprentice Erin Woar to train him on Kashyyyk.

The two Jedi were in meditation together when Jolee felt a dark shadow over take him and fill his mind with visions of death. He broke meditation and stood up staring into the sky. He smiled, ("The force is a funny thing…")

Erin opened his eyes, "Master are you alright?" The question was ignored; "Master…" Erin stood up.

When he did Jolee turned to him, "I am fine but you have a long road ahead of you… that is why I've decided to grant you the rank of Jedi Knight…"

Erin was shocked, "But master there is so much I can still learn from you…"

He smiled, "You have my confidence… now take a knee…" Erin obeyed and bowed his head. "Padawan Woar… You have learned the lessons of the force and you know the Jedi code… from this day forth you will be known as Erin Woar Jedi Knight…" With his lightsaber Jolee cut off the lock of hair; "…stand and be recognized with all the rights and privileges."

A tear slid down Erin's cheek, "Thank you master… I've enjoyed studying under you…"

"Now is not the time for sadness… I want you to take my ship and go to Coruscant I will call ahead to the council… when you get there they will have an assignment ready for you…"

"What about you master?"

"I will be fine…"

It took a half an hour for Erin to get ready to leave and as he was walking up the ramp he stopped and slowly turned. "I felt it…"

"Felt what…" Jolee asked.

"Master you don't have to face this alone… we can face this dark disturbance together…"

"No… you will go… you may be a Jedi Knight now but I am still a master and you will obey me now leave and hurry…"

Erin walked back down the ramp and hugged Jolee, "Be safe master… may the force be with you."

"And you as well…"

Erin reluctantly walked up the ramp and a few minutes later the ship took off; Jolee watched until the ship was out of sight then he gathered his mental powers and summoned every creature within a one mile radius. Everything from the spider monkey to the dangerous Kataren and the poisonous Karath answered the mental summons.

As Erin's ship made the jump to lightspeed Darth Arachni's ship entered Kashyyyk's system. He could feel a force presence leaving, but he was more interested in the one coming from the shadow lands of Kashyyyk. Arachni ignored the com hails from the new Wookie star port tower that wanted him to identify himself and punched his drive to maximum for planet side. He smashed his ship through tree tops and frightened a few Wookies who were looking over the side of a rail as he rocketed to the forest below. When Arachni broke through the upper levels of the forest he flew turning and twisting through the massive trees to his target he felt in the force. With his scanners Arachni picked up a heat signature coming from a tree trunk house; he targeted the house and fired two missiles. The explosion threw debris in every direction and started a few fires; Jolee pointed his hand at a small pond and took a ball of water and put the fires out.

Darth Arachni landed his ship a hundred feet away from the burning tree trunk hut. When he landed he covered his ship with a camouflage tarp because of the huge group of Wookies coming down to search for his ship. As soon as Arachni's feet hit the ground he was swarmed by hundreds of spider monkeys, Karath, and a few Bull Katarin. The Karath managed to stab him with its stinger and the monkeys clawed his face; he raised his hands and unleashed a force wave and lightening storm at the same time. The electric blast wave killed every creature around him and destroyed an area a mile wide; the blast wave also started new brush fires.

Drawing energy from the pain and wounds he received from the animals Darth Arachni was able to over power the poison in his system and go on despite the wounds. He stormed across the lower canopy of the forest towards Jolee Bindo; his rage was like an erupting volcanoe.

"So the sith…" Jolee didn't get to finish the statement because Darth Arachni grabbed him in the force and crushed his body with a grunt. Jolee tried to break his hold, but he was too strong.

He stood over the body and took the lightsaber and with a wave of his hand he obliterated it. "If these are the kind of Jedi Revan left to protect the galaxy then this will be a very easy hunt…"

Darth Arachni returned to his ship and left the planet before the Wookies arrived on the seen. They collected as much evidence as they could and returned with the sad news to Zaalbar. The entire Wookie nation gathered on the forest floor and memorialized Jolee Bindo.

Suvaff:

Jolee Bindo's death sent ripples throughout the force and those ripples were felt by Darth Zoarn. When Zoarn felt Darth Arachni's presence he went into meditation and saw visions of Darth Arachni killing His master the one who shunned him; he also saw that Darth Arachni would need his help, but his visions were coming from Darth Traya. When Zoarn had the whole picture he decided to track this new Sith Lord himself and offer him his allegiance.

"Admiral…"

Raun Niolis was in his office updating his fleet personnel because their fleet had multiplied by a hundred. "Yes my lord…"

"How is the fleet looking?"

"We will be ready for attack in the next few months… at present we have one half more ships than the Republic…"

"Good… I am leaving here there has been a new development…"

"If I may ask my lord what kind of development…"

"That sith lord who stole my weapons shipment has been killed by her own apprentice and he has killed a prominent member of the Jedi order… I intend to track him and offer my aid… I will be taking ten assassins with me… continue with operations…"

"My lord there is one other thing… we are running low on credits… we won't have enough to pay the troops… and we are running low on resources…"

Zoarn sighed, "Start mining procedures immediately and contact Czerka corporation… I need more credits…"

"And if they don't cooperate…"

He stopped at the door and turned to look at the Niolus… then we'll have to put someone in charge who will…"

Zoarn was met in the hanger by the ten sith assassins and they boarded his lamda class long range ship and took off setting course for Kashyyyyk.

Dantooine:

No one in the Jedi order took Jolee Bindo's death harder than Atton Rand; after the Exile left it was Jolee who took Atton under his wing and was like a father to him. Jolee was the one who convinced the other Jedi masters to grant Atton the rank of master. The two Jedi had become the best of friends mainly because they had a lot in common and now Jolee was dead.

When Jolee died Atton was on a mission uncovering a weapons smuggling ring that was coming out of Dantooine, but when Atton felt the death of his friend he decided to pass the mission on to someone else and hunt down the sith responsible for Jolee's death.

("So I've finally found you…") Darth Arachni said flying his star ship from the dark side of Dantooine's moon in order to avoid detection by the local government. Atton was easy to find as well especially with all the traveling the Jedi did and the force impressions he left behind. Darth Arachni wasn't killing the Jedi on Traya's list in any particular order it was just the way things worked out for him. He could feel Atton's force aura on the planet and he was returning to his ship the Ebon Hawk; if Arachni hurried he could beat the Jedi there. When he landed on the back side of the hanger on the edge of the grove Arachni could feel the dark side taint still present.

The Ebon Hawk was docked in the main hanger of the Khoonda regional government office. T3 was oiling the landing gear something Atton insisted be done at least once every month. The droid was whistling while he oiled the struts on the gears when the mechanics in the hanger started choking. T3 scanned the air for pollution but he found nothing; the droid called for medical assistance for the hanger personnel but it wouldn't come in time as all fourteen people died of being choked. A grating sound caused T3 to whistle nervously as he tried to contact Atton but something was jamming the signal. The gratting sound was coming from the hanger doors as they were bent as if they were paper; the doors were ripped off the track and dropped to the floor by something that T3 wasn't picking up on his scanners; he did pick up an alien life form one he had never seen nor heard of in all his travels.

The alien entered the hanger and pointed his gloved hand at T3 as the little droid tried to make it up the ramp, but T3 was raised into the air and levitated to the insect like alien. "Don't worry little one we aren't going to destroy you… no we will reprogram you for our service…"

Darth Arachni hit T3 with enough lightening to neutralize him as if he had used an ion grenade. Arachni let T3 hit the floor then he turned his attention to the Ebon Hawk; he raised both his hands surrounding the Ebon Hawk in the force then Arachni lifted the ship off its landing gear and as he brought his hands together the Hawk was crushed like tin can in a compacter; at the same time Arachni hit the ship with force lightening and the ship blew up. The explosion tore apart the hanger, but Arachni protected himself and T3 in a bubble of force energy as the wave came rushing towards them. With the Hawk destroyed all Arachni had to do now was wait for Atton Rand to show up, but it was security, medical, and fire suppression teams that showed up. They stood in the door in disbelief of the destruction caused by the unknown alien who raised his hands and sent arcs of lightening at them, but a few of the security guards were wearing personal shield generators. Darth Arachni force crushed the surviving ten guards and dropped to his knees allowing his rage to pollute the area.

Atton Rand raced across the fields on his speeder bike a smoking pillar of fire could be seen rising from the hanger and Atton felt several people die in the force and now he was feeling this rage a burning rage coming from the hanger. Atton hadn't felt anything that dark sense the Hawk crashed on Malachor Five. He slowed his bike within a few feet of the hanger and jumped off his bike pulling out his lightsaber. The burned bodies of security, medical and fire surpression personnel greeted him at the door. Atton's anger began to rise as he walked over the bodies; ten of the bodies were lying on the ground in a twisted fashion as if every bone in their bodies had been broken. A lone alien figure stood in front of the smoking ruin of the Ebon Hawk and lying next to the dark alien was T3; it looked as if the droid had been hit with an ion grenade.

"Jedi Master Atton Rand… we've been waiting for you…"

"So you're the ugly bastard who killed Jolee Bindo…"

"Yesss… we are Darth Arachni our mistress Darth Traya commandssss your deathsss… you may know her by her meaninglesssss name Atrisssss…"

"So Atriss is calling herself Darth Traya now…"

"There must alwayssssss be a Darth Traya…"

"I'm going to kill you slowly…" Atton said, "…And before you die you are going to tell me where Atris is…"

Atton let out a scream as he ran towards Darth Arachni, but Arachni grabbed him in the force; Atton tried to get free, but Arachni's force hold on him was intense and very strong. Fear gripped Atton as he was thrown into the ceiling; he dropped his lightsaber. Atton was dropped to the floor fifty feet up and another fifty down; with a wave of his hand Arachni sent Atton head first into the right wall then he sent him flying into the left wall. Arachni raised Atton into the air about twenty five feet and dropped him again. Atton tried to summon his lightsaber but Arachni was holding the lightsaber on the ground. When he dropped Atton Arachni picked up a bunch of rubble and dropped it on Atton; then he dragged his broken bleeding body from under the rubble using the force and levitated him into the air until they were face to face.

"What were you saying about killing us slowly…" He asked. Atton spit in his face, but he just laughed a hissing cackling laugh. Darth Arachni called Atton's lightsaber to his hand and forced Atton to open his hand. He placed the lightsaber into Atton's hand and made him close his fist around the cylinder like weapon and put the end to his own chest. "Farewell fool… join your friend in oblivion…"

With a twitch of his eye Darth Arachni made Atton ignite the saber; a yellow blade burned through Atton's body as he released a defeaning scream. Arachni allowed him to fall to the floor as the life force left his broken body; Darth Arachni took Atton's lightsaber and cut the body up into fourteen pieces. He placed the smaller body parts in a circle then he took the torso and leaned it against a spiked pole where he placed Atton's head. Sensing a huge group of security guards on the way Arachni unleashed a force wave that destroyed the Khoonda administration office and all surrounding buildings; five hundred people died in the wave and Darth Arachni reveled in it. When he calmed down he took T3 and began reprogramming the droid to follow his orders; as he worked Traya touched his mind. ("Send me a copy of all navigational charts stored in the droids memory…") Darth Arachni was furious, but what could he do, Darth Traya was still his master even though he was a sith lord; he was bound to obey her until he completed his mission. ("Yes master…")

Coruscant: The Jedi Temple,

Both the deaths of Jolee Bindo and Atton Rand were hard to take by the Jedi Order. Erin Woar felt his former master's death while traveling through hyperspace; he along with Baron Moore Atton's former apprentice stood outside the doors to the council chambers because both Jedi were determined to convince the council to allow them to seek out this sith lord and destroy him.

"Why are you here?" Master Ynarr Ki Lazz asked.

The man he posed the question to was an out of shape star pilot who stood before the Jedi council. "As I said I have information to sell you…"

Mia Shale shifted in her seat, "And do we look like Hutts for you to bargain with… if we wanted to we could rip this information from your mind…" It was an idle threat.

The man knew this and continued, "I'm just a poor man trying to make his way in the galaxy… I'm sure you can understand that…"

["He has a point…"] Master Gaffeen said.

Visas Marr stood and walked around the man making him nervous, "You reek of the dark side… tell me how much did the sith lord pay you to come here and give us this information… and don't lie because we will know…"

Now the man was nervous, "Uh…"

"Don't lie…" Bao Durr said.

"He paid me two hundred and fifty thousand credits to come to Coruscant and tell you I saw a sith lord by the name of Darth Arachni… I'm sorry but what else was I to do…" he looked at each of their faces and saw the judgement, "…Few people in the galaxy tell a sith lord no and live to tell about and of those few they are Jedi…"

"So you thought you would get payed twice…"

"I uh…"

The man was interrupted by Lazz who had heard enough, "Can you describe this sith lord to us?"

The man purked up a little; "Well he was an alien… the likes of which I have never seen before… he was eight maybe nine feet tall… he was some type of insect; he had an exoskeleton and he wore black and red armor… oh and he had four extra arms, but they were only six inches in length…"

"Anything else…" Lazz asked aggravated; the man replied no, "You may go now…"

"But…"

"You heard Master Lazz…" Brianna said, "Go…"

The man left the council chambers and as he did a hologram of Zaalbar Chief ten of the Wookies appeared. He growled his condolences to the council at the loss of someone like Jolee Bindo.

["He isn't lost to us your hignhness he is one with the force now…"] Dainor said.

["We Wookies consider him a brother and we have created a memorial in his honor…"] Zaalbar said.

Bastilla had been standing at the window the whole time, "Thank you Chief Zaalbar it is greatly appreciated…" She said returning to her seat. Zaalbar growled a goodbye and his image vanished.

"We've got problems…" Laon Tunnel said.

"Yes Master Tunnel and they keep getting bigger…" Lazz said as the transmission from Dantooine was put through.

The hologram was of Chief Adminstrator Dara Eln, "Administrator Eln what is the situation?" Bastilla asked, her image kept flickering in and out. "Boost the power…" Bastilla ordered into her chair com.

The image stopped flickering, but there still was static, "Masters the citizens of Dantooine are panicking… over five hundred people are dead or in need of medical attention…"

"Evacuate the planet…" Bastilla said.

The council members looked at her, but it was Eln who answered. "You don't have the authority to do that and even if I complied with your wishes there are many people on Dantooine who won't leave and I would need to consult with the supreme chancellor…"

Bastilla sighed, "Administrator Eln I know the protocol, but this is a sith and that falls under our jurisdiction… evacuate I that is the council doesn't want anyone else to die by this sith lord… we are sending some Jedi to deal with the situation, but it would be best if your people avoided the hanger all together…"

Eln sighed, "Very well Master Jedi I will do as you ask but hurry…"

Her image faded, "Who are we going to send…" Juhanni asked. "Both the former padawans of Jolee and Atton are waiting outside those doors… we all know what they want, but they are no match for this Darth Arachni…"

"The obvious choice is to send me…" Visas said, "I can end this quickly…"

"We need him alive…" Fiorra Hinn said, "Especially if this Darth Arachni was trained by Atris…"

"No…" said Bastilla standing up, "…I will go and face this Darth Arachni and Masters Brianna and Bao Durr will come with me… Brianna because she is the best swordman in the order and Bao Durr because of his skill… and me because I can amplify their powers with my battle meditation…"

Bastilla's plan made sense, but not all the masters agreed with it, "…No disrespect Grand Master Bastilla, but wouldn't it be wiser to send Master Visas she after all is more powerful than any of us or better all of us should go… there is no sith lord alive who could take on twelve masters at once…" Master Helm said.

"True but we have already let this get out of hand… it is bound to reach the supreme chancellor's ears… that being said I have personal reasons for going some of which I will keep to myself… one of the more important ones being is that I feel that I have failed… if I hadn't focused all my attention on Balhorn then none of this would have happened…"

"Pretty words…" Lazz said, "…Could your reason also be revenge on Revan's behalf?"

"No…" she immediately replied, "…If it was for revenge's sake alone then I wouldn't be taking Masters Bao Durr and Brianna; besides the only fighting I will be doing is strengthing them with my battle meditation…"

Lazz sighed, "I don't like it… what if you three fail…"

"Then you still have Master Visas to fall back on…"

The masters looked at each other and Juhanni stood up, "Everyone in aggrement say yes…" One by one they all agreed, "So be it…" Juhanni said with a heavy heart, "Bastilla my friend be safe and may the force be with all three of you…"

Bastilla pressed the button on her chair and the doors opened, "Jedi Moore and Woar please come in…" The two Jedi obeyed, "We know what you want and the answer is no… the two of you aren't ready to face a sith lord…"

Moore swallowed his anger, "May we ask what the council is going to do then?"

It was Hunn who explained the plan, "Then why can't we accompany you as back up… five against one is better than three to one, besides we both have scores to settle…"

"The two of you will only get in the way…" Bastilla said, "Our judgement is final the two of you will stay here…" They were about to protest but Bastilla stopped them by raising her hand. "If you wish to honor your masters then you can work on the case Master Atton was before he died, but stay away from this sith lord…"

The meeting was dismissed and Bastilla, Bao Durr, and Brianna all got ready to leave for Dantooine. They took Bao Durr's ship the Caspian and as he was walking up the ramp Bao Durr stopped sensing his apprentice Deila Shaun running up behind him.

"So it's true…"

"Yes it is…"

"Then I am coming with you…"

"No you will remain here… Jedi Deila…"

"No…" She said getting emotional, "…No you can make me a full Jedi when you return…"

He smiled and cupped her face and said, "May the force be with you… Now step off the ramp time is against us…"

Deila watched as Bao Durr's ship the Caspian took off, she stood watching until the ship was out of sight. Then she came to a decision; a decision that would change her life forever.

Dantooine:

A massive exodus was happening on Dantooine as thousands of people boarded transport ships bound for Coruscant. Only a handful of people decided to stay and rough it out, but those people were nothing to Darth Arachni he was interested in one thing and that was killing all the Jedi on his death list. He had exed out both Jolee and Atton's names from the list and now he was waiting for the Jedi to show up.

He knew they wouldn't send the entire council of masters after him foolish on their part and they wouldn't dare send anyone under the rank of master. Arachni had forseen three masters coming for him but he couldn't tell who and then a fourth force aura entered his vision one full of fear; a fear that could be used to turn this person to the dark side.

Darth Arachni busied himself by meditating and practicing the force binding technique, he also searched his holocron for anything that would help give him an edge in the fight. After awhile he became frustrated and gave the holocron to T3 and ordered the droid to return the holocron to his ship. Arachni was about to go into another meditation trance when he felt three bright force auras coming out of hyperspace; they were all grouped together on the same ship.

"They have come…" He said to himself taking off his robe.

Bao Durr landed his ship thirteen feet from the smoking ruins of the hanger, from the air they spotted the wreckage of the Ebon Hawk and a sadness that was quickly rejected came over them. They all hurried down the ramp weapons drawn and as they approached the hanger they gasped because of Atton's cut up body and his head on a pike.

"What kind of a monster are you…" Bao Durr screamed.

"Ah… Jedi Master Bao Durr, Jedi Master Brianna, and last but definitely not least Grand Master Bastilla Shan…"

Bastilla was standing in the middle, "And you are Darth Arachni… Traya's lacky…"

"Correction her weapon against those who betrayed her…"

"Then I guess she is afraid to face us herself…" Brianna said.

Arachni laughed, "How little do you know… Darth Traya hassss become so powerful that it would be like a space slug stopping to give notice to a mynock…"

"Enough…" Bastilla said, "Tell us where she is and we will spare your life and offer you a chance to join the Jedi… I too once served the dark side but I was able to turn away you can do the same…"

"You were weak… like Revan and all who follow the false teachings of the Jedi…"

Brianna had enough, "Why are waisting time trying to parlay with this monster… when we can beat Atris' location out of him…"

"Try it if you dare…"

Bastilla took several steps back and opened herself up to the force using her battle meditation and at the same time Brianna ignited her double edge lightsaber and Bao Durr ignited both his sabers and they charged Darth Arachni. Who only ignited one side of his weapon; with Bastilla's battle meditation both Brianna and Bao Durr were stronger and faster in the force. Arachni blocked parried and spun around flowing from one extreme to the next in his attempt to hold back both Jedi Masters. Brianna blocked left and right then she spun into his guard and elbowed Darth Arachni in the side of his head. Bao Durr tried to cut his head off, but Arachni ignited the other half of his double saber and blocked. With the two Jedi crowding him Arachni unleashed a force wave and threw both Jedi to the gound, but Brianna jumped off the wall and lunged forward like a missile. Darth Arachni rolled under her and tried to gut her, but Brianna twisted her lightsaber and blocked it; she landed on her feet and the two of them continued their melee. Bao Durr ran up behind him so Arachni did a back flip; when he missed he switched off his right saber and locked his arm into Brianna'a who swung him around with his feet sticking out and kicked Arachni in the face. He stumbled backwards and as he did Arachni threw out his hands and unleashed a lightening storm. Brianna blocked it with her lightsaber while Bao Durr jumped into the air flipped; he landed next Arachni. The sith lord force punched Bao Durr in the face sending him to the ground and he would have finished him off if Bao Durr hadn't raised his left sword at the last minute. Brianna ran forward and drop kicked the eight foot tall alien.

("I must end this…") Arachni thought, but the problem was Bastilla. He grabbed a piece of rubble off the ground in the force and threw it at her. The rubble would have hit Bastilla if Bao Durr hadn't stopped it with his own power. He then charged Arachni, but Darth Arachni knocked his left sword from his hand and used the force to send the weapon at Bastilla and at the same time he bound Bao Durr's telekinetic abilites. Brianna tried to stop it but Arachni blasted her with force lightening which she had to block from herself and Bao Durr. Bastilla broke her battle meditation ignited her double edge weapon and batted the weapon away. With the distraction Bao Durr and Brianna's power returned to normal; Darth Arachni amplified his speed with the force and took Bao Durrs legs from under him. He tried to finish the Zabrak off, but Brianna force pushed him with all her might, Arachni went flying through the air but he flipped and jumped up onto the wreckage of the Ebon hawk. Bao Durr poured his power into Brianna while Bastilla started her battle meditation again this quadrupled her power; she leapt onto the hall of the hawk and surprised Arachni by turning her double blade into two separate weapons.

"Now we get down to business…" She was a living weapon coming at Arachni from all sides; she was everywhere with her blades. Darth Arachni held his own by increasing his natural speed with the force, but it wasn't enough; she broke his defenses and slashed him on the chest; it was the armor that saved him from any real damage. Then she broke his saber staff and when the blades flickered out Arachni threw them down and took Jolee and Atton's weapons from his belt. As he did this Brianna force pushed him off the hawk; he hit the ground with a huge thud and Brianna jumped after him. To hold her back Arachni switched off his lightsabers and with one hand he threw force lightening at her and with the other he used the force to turn the hawk over and crush Bao Durr who wasn't strong enough to hold up the Hawk because of his legs.

"No…" Brianna screamed, but the hawk stopped a few feet from crushing Bao Durr because Bastilla broke her battle meditation again. Brianna force threw her lightsaber, but Darth Arachni vanished in a bright red light. "What kind of sith trickery is this…" Brianna gasped as a violet energy blade burned through her chest. Arachni withdrew the blade and with both sabers he decapitated Brianna. Bastilla flipped the Hawk over and started walking towards Darth Arachni; Bao Durr tried to pour what power he could into Bastilla but Arachni was binding his power.

"Why do we have to fight Bastilla… Your love for Revan is dead…" She stopped in her tracks, "…Join me become my apprentice and Darth Traya will fall."

"Bastilla don't listen to him…" Bao Durr yelled.

"Come in your heart you loved Revan and Atris stole that from you… you want revenge… we can help each other… We can help you get revenge and you can free us from her power…"

Bastilla thought about it and the offer was inticing; she looked at Bao Durr and smiled, "Nice try… but you are going down…" She charged him with all her might, but Arachni was too fast and he was now using both hands to fight and he was a better dual fighter than a double edge one. He blocked with his left attacked with his right; Bastilla spun her double saber and twisted from side to side in order to keep at bay.

As Bastilla and Arachni fought a ship landed next to Bao Durr's and it was piloted by Deila Shyren who followed her master to Dantooine. As she was getting out of her ship she felt her master in great pain; she couldn't feel Brianna's force presence because it was gone. Bastilla was fighting to the limits of her ability, but Arachni was too fast for her. She swung with her right, but Darth Arachni fell to his back and kicked her saber from her hand; he sat up and stabbed Bastilla in the stomach. With the burning energy blade stuck in her; Bastilla gasped for air as she defiantly stared at Arachni who swung his left sword slashing her throat. Bastilla fell backwards and died Darth Arachni stood up and walked over to her body, but all he found was her clothes her body had become one with the force; he turned his attention to Bao Durr who was unable to defend himself. Darth Arachni raised his lightsaber to strike, but a force presence full of rage, anger, and fear was coming towards him. At the last minute Arachni dropped and rolled as a red Twi'lek tried to take his head off with the blue energy blade of her lightsaber. Deila attacked with everything she had; determined to save her master's life, but Arachni rolled to the side and came up on his knees beside Bao Durr and stabbed him in the back with Atton's lightsaber.

"Master…" Deila screamed.

Arachni could feel her rage and anger rising up and while they were fighting he saw glimpses of her as a powerful sith lord. He grabbed her sword hand and broke it; then he grabbed her by the neck and raised her into the air.

"You have hate and anger… all the makings of a sith lord, but you have a long journey ahead so we will let you live and you will alwayssss remember that we it was who killed the great Bao Durr…" He threw Deila to the ground and shocked her until she passed out. Then Arachni collected the lightsabers of the dead Jedi and left the damaged hanger. As he made his way to his ship he pulled out a com device, "T3 get the ship ready we are leaving…"

The little droid whisteled a question when Arachni came on board, "We are heading to the Maraluka system…" The droid whistled something else, "…I know I'm going there to bury the last Maraluka in the galaxy…"

An hour after Darth Arachni left the planet Darth Zoarn's ship was flying over head. He landed and examined the destruction and death that could only be caused by a sith lord. Atton Rand's head was on a pike, but his lightsaber was missing; the famous Ebon Hawk was destroyed and a pile of bodies littered the floor. Zoarn closed his eyes and tried to sense where the sith lord was going; he smiled sensing the direction he had gone. Zoarn returned to his ship and had the pilot take off setting course for Maraluka.

Coruscant: Office of the Supreme Chancellor,

"Let me get this strait…" Julion Van Mont had been listening to Master Jedi Visas Marr explain to him why Bastilla ordered the evacuation of Dantooine and he wasn't taking it well. "Masters Bao Durr, Atton Rand, Bastilla Shan, Brianna, and Jolee Bindo are dead… killed by this Darth Arachni who you believe was trained by Atris…" He sighed running his hand through his hair, "…If the media gets a hold of this it would cause a panic and now you Master Visas are planning to face this sith lord alone… and how can you succeed where five others have failed?"

Visas had come to Mont's office with Masters Hunn, Lazz, and Shale, "Because I am more powerful than all the others… this sith lord will die by my hand…"

"Give Master Visas seventy-two hours to finish this before you go public…" Lazz said, but Aeneda entered the office interrupting them.

"Begging your pardon for my intrusion sir, but there is a report on the holonet you should see…" When Aaneda pressed a button a screen lowered from the ceiling.

A bald women was making the report, "I intervued Mr. Ganley a star pilot and he revealed to me that a Sith Lord named Darth Arachni is responsible for the evacuation on Dantooine and it was Grand Master Bastilla Shan who ordered Aministrator Eln to evacuate the planet…" A droid handed her a report, "…This just in …we've just learned that the mysterious Darth Arachni was responsible for the deaths of Jedi Masters Jolee Bindo, Atton Rand, Bastilla Shan, Bao Durr, and Brianna four of those Jedi were reported dead on Dantooine and Atton Rand's body was found cut up…"

"Turn it off…" Mont said feeling sick, "…I am going to have to make a statement."

"We would like to be at your side when you do…"

"I don't think so… Perhaps I should speak to the press alone and insure the public that you and the Jedi are doing everything to kill this sith lord…"

Visas and the other masters stood, "I do have one request Chancellor… I ask that you have Ganley arrested for starting a panic…"

"I will see what can be done…"

As Visas and the other masters returned to the Jedi temple Chancellor Mont made a statement to the press assuring them that the Jedi was on top of the situation.

Jedi Temple:

The Jedi council was missing three masters; a solem attitude was over the council chamber as they all stared at the three empty chairs. "We need to choose a new Grand Master…" Lazz said. "I'd like to nominate Master Visas for the position…"

"I thank you Master Lazz, but my heart is too heavy for such a decision…" She responded.

"We all have heavy hearts, but we cannot let that dominate us…" Tunnel said, "I nominate Master Gaffeen…"

Mia Shale was standing at the window; her hair was braided down her back and she wore a gold head band. Mia Shale had dark hair and she wore a heavy white robe. "I nominate Master Gaffeen…" She said without turning around.

["Master Visas has my nomination…"] Dainor said.

"I'd like to nominate Master Visas as well…" Juhanni said.

Visas stood up… I thank you all for the confidence you've placed in me, but I believe this council needs the wisdom and foresight of Master Gaffeen… my path is leading me to a show down with this Darth Arachni…"

["If this is the will of the council then I accept with all humilty…"] Gaffeen said.

When the council agreed they all stood around Gaffeen and said at the same time; "Jedi Master Gaffeen we the masters of the Jedi Council bestow on you the rank of Grand Master of the Jedi Council with all the rights and responsibilities due your position… May the force be with you…"

With Gaffeen as the new grand master of the Jedi they all sat in their seats with three seats empty. Gaffeen reverently took the seat previously occupied by Jedi Master Bastilla Shan.

He looked around at the assembled Masters, ["We need to fill the empty positions as soon as possible but first we need to deal with this Darth Arachni… I believe he is targeting the Jedi who were assosciated with the Ebon Hawk…"]

"If your theory is correct Grand Master then both Masters Juhanni and Visas are targets…" Lazz said

"His theory is correct…" Visas said speaking up, "…Why else would this Darth Arachni go to my home world; he is begging me to come to him…"

"Perhaps I should accompany you…" Juhanni suggested.

"No… that wouldn't be wise…" Visas said in concern, "…I can handle it alone for now you stay here…"

"Do not underestimate this Sith Lord Master Visas…" Mia warned.

"Perhaps the entire council should go… he can't fight all of us…" Fiorra Hinn said.

["No we've gone through all this before… Master Visas will handle this sith…"] Gaffeen made sure he everyone was in agreement before he moved on, ["We have another problem that if not corrected will compound our current situation… I speak of Padawan Deila… Master Durr's former apprentice… she is a lose cannon and her heart is ruled by hate and revenge… we need to find her…"]

"We could send Jedi Knights Cax Ming, Ninor Tau Kun, and Cullin Voles to bring her in…"

One by one the masters agreed to Lazz's purposal and after that Visas stood to leave, "It is time I was heading out… we can discuss nominees to replace the fallen Jedi Masters when I return…"

The council adjourned and Visas made her way to the temple hanger where Jedi Knight Haal Wendu was waiting, "I should be coming with you…" He said gravely.

She smiled, "I will be fine… don't worry…"

"Be safe master…"

They hugged and Visas climbed aboard her Jedi fighter designed by Bao Durr and fresh off of the assembly lines of the Aratech Corporation. The fighter was small and locked into a hyperspace booster in orbit of the planet. She took off and locked into the hyper drive and off she went.

Maraluka:

Darth Zoarn had finally tracked down Darth Arachni and when his ship came out of hyperspace he hid on the dark side of the moon. The planet itself was a giant red ball of ash cracked and barron. All force energy had been sucked from the planet by Darth Nihilus to feed his force hunger. The sith lord had killed everything on the planet by unleashing a thought bomb and all Zoarn could do for now was stare in awe of the once lush world that was now void of all life.

"Incredible…" He whispered to himself.

"My lord I am picking up one life sign on the surface of the planet…" the droid copilot said. "Lifeform is unknown sir…"

Down on the surface of the planet Darth Arachni impatiently waited for Visas' arrival; he had T3 take his ship and hide on the far side off the planet just in case. His rage and power was only amplified by the dark energy radiating from Maraluka. He also felt Darth Zoarn's presence in the area even though it was masked by the energy on Maraluka.

He grunted, ("I wonder what that fool thinks he is going to do…") Arachni thought to himself. He didn't discount Zoarn because Arachni was in for the fight of his life and Zoarn could mean the difference between life and death for him.

"Finally…" He said out loud sensing Visas coming out of hyperspace; Arachni didn't have time to build a new lightsaber so he would fight with Brianna's weapon and make a similar one later. There was a light in the sky that began to resolve itself into a small fighter it came streaming with its nose pointed down as if it was on a firing run. Arachni pulled out his trophy lightsaber and deflected the blaster bolts fired at him from the fighter.

Visas pulled up at the last minute trying to hit Arachni who dove to the ground at the last minute. She looped her ship around and landed thirty feet from the sith lord.

"At last you have come… we've been waiting…" Visas didn't respond she unhooked her lightsaber, ignited it and kept walking towards him.

Her lightsaber had a white energy blade as well and she started running towards Arachni and their blades met on the side. Arachni started with a side to side attack then he spun around as his attacks became more and more elaborate. Visas was on the defense then she parried an attack matching him blow for blow; they slammed their blades into each other and locked swords. Arachni twisted the left side of his saber and now he had two weapons; he swung for Visas' mid-section, but she jumped and flipped over him with their blades still locked. Arachni broke the stand off and made a series of spin attacks, increasing his speed with the force, but Visas was able to match his speed.

Arachni ended his spin attacks and stood toe to toe with Visas, who was able to disarm his right hand. Darth Arachni kept fighting with his left hand and when the opportunity came he summoned the second weapon to his hand and locked her saber in between both of his sabers and wrentched her lightsaber from her hand. Arachni swung right and left, but Visas dodged the sabers and struck Darth Arachni with a series of force punches without using her hands. She would simply glance at a part of his anatomy and hit him with an explosion of force energy. She punched him in the face then his chest and in the gut; she repeated the combo three times in different orders. Arachni responded by throwing his sabers at her and using his kenesis he attacked her with the sabers flying in the air. Visas received a slash on the shoulder and a cut on the right cheek, she threw out her arms and released a force wave that knocked both sabers out of the air.

Both Arachni and Visas summoned their lightsabers, but he unleashed a lightening storm at her. A lightening bolt struck Visas' saber and knock it out of the air so she blocked the attack with her hands. Visas dispelled the lightening attack with a force wave and summoned Atton's lightsaber from beneath Arachni's robe. She leapt at Arachni and cut his left arm off and force pushed him, but the alien seem unaffected by the loss of his limb because he drew on the pain and flipped in the air landing on his feet. Darth Traya had taught Arachni to use the force to control multiple lightsabers in combat. So two more lighsabers joined his in the air and the sabers attacked Visas via his telekinetic commands. Visas unleashed a force wave that caused Arachni to lose control of the lightsabers and throw him back thirteen feet, but as he flew through the air he summoned one of the sabers and vanished in a bright red flash. He reappeared behind Visas, but she spun around locking blades with the strange alien. She kicked him on his open wound causing him to howl in pain and Darth Arachni would have lost his head if a sith assassin hadn't blocked the lightsaber's path. Another assassin appeared and another until Visas was surrounded by five sith assassins all armed with lightsabers.

"Who are you?" Arachni asked as Darth Zoarn took Arachni under his arm and dragged him to his ship a few feet away.

"A friend…"

Within the span of five minutes Visas had killed three of the assassins, but another five appeared and Darth Arachni and his apprentice or at least she assumed the strange man was his apprentice was getting away. So Visas resorted to the only move she could; she summoned her vast power and overloaded the assassins and because they weren't trained to handle that much power they died. Visas looked into the sky just as the lamda class ship was taking off; she pointed a hand at the ship and pulled it back to the surface of the planet.

"We aren't going to make it…" The pilot shouted.

Darth Arachni was barely awake, but he grabbed Darth Zoarn in the force and dragged him out of his chair and across the floor; as soon as Zoarn was close enough Arachni grabbed his shoulder and they teleported in a bright red flash.

"No…" The pilot screamed as the ship was slammed into the ground and exploded, but Visas could tell the two sith weren't in the wreckage, but she checked anyway. Visas searched as much as she could in the force for the two sith and found no one so she went to her ship and left for Coruscant.

Coruscant:

Four days later Visas returned to the Jedi temple and told the masters about her duel with Darth Arachni and his weird force ability; she also told them about the appearance of the second sith.

"Do you believe they were working together?" Tunnel asked.

"No… I don't think so… a sith apprentice wouldn't allow his or her master to fight a duel like that and not intervene… nor would a sith lord fight without his apprentice… it was as if the second sith was trying to rescue Arachni from me…"

"This only raises more questions… I wish you would have allowed one of us to come with you…" Lazz said.

It was Mia Shale who responded to Lazz, "Master Lazz we cannot dwell on the past… the here and now is trouble enough… we must hunt them down…"

"I disagree… I think this Darth Arachni will come to us…" Visas said.  
>["I agree… for now we will make preparations and let this Darth Arachni come to us…"] Gaffeen said.<p>

"What about the younglings…" Hinn said, "…We cannot expose them to danger…"

["They will be well guarded…"] Gaffeen said who adjourned the meeting.

Suuvaf:

There were hundreds of sith thousands and the galaxy trembled before their might and their Emperor Darth Reign. ("Issss thisss the past present or future…") Darth Arachni spoke in his mind but he couldn't wake up he was too tired especially after fighting a Jedi Master like Visas and then teleporting two people over a distance of ten light years to a small planet in a nearby system. Arachni couldn't tell if he was dead or alive and death was looking good to him; then a powerful mind touched his and his body received a boost of force energy. Arachni was aware of where he was and his surroundings; he was no longer tired nor was he hungry. ("It is time for you to awake…") The powerful mind said; it was the voice of his Master Darth Traya.

Darth Arachni opened his eyes and noticed that he was warm and in a bed; his severed arm had been replaced by an artificial one. There was a shadowy figure sitting in a chair next to the bed with his eyes closed, but he wasn't sleeping. A droid rolled up to the bed and injected Arachni's IV with a stimulant; he turned his head again and this time the man on the chair had his eyes open.

He smiled, "You're awake my lord… for a minute I thought we were going to lose you…"

"Who are you and where are we…"

Zoarn stood up and dropped to one knee as Arachni sat up, "I am Darth Zoarn my lord… your humble servant and you are in my medivac center on a planet in wild space called Suuvaf…"

"How long were we unconsciousss?"

"One week and three days… my lord… my med droids have never encountered… a being like you and it took some time to create an arm that would fit your particular nervous system…"

When Zoarn said this Arachni finally remembered losing an arm to Visas and noticed the artificial limb that replaced it. It was quit impressive considering his droids have never encountered someone of his species before. Arachni could feel the wires interacting with the nerves and muscles in his arm and the artificial exoskeleton that covered it was almost as real as the original. "We thank you…" He said flexing his fingers. Arachni stood up and looked down at Zoarn, "You may rise…"

Zoarn obeyed and looked up at the eight foot tall alien, "My lord forgive my impertinence, but did you kill the woman I felt earlier… the one who stole my weapons shipment…"

Arachni didn't know what he was talking about and he was about to say the wrong thing when he felt Traya's mind again. ("The fool believes you killed me because I fed him those images in the force… learn what you can from him then kill him… he is the past…"

Arachni could do nothing but obey, "Yes we killed her… our power surpassed hers and we overthrew her… she called herself Darth Aura…"

"I knew it…" Zoarn beemed, "…If you train me and teach me you and I could do great things together my lord…"

Arachni started getting dressed, "What could you possibly do for us?"

"I have already done it my lord… I saved you from Master Visas and I am building an army that will over shadow the republic fleet… I have also created a new force technique and I will give all this to you as tribute… if you allow me to become your apprentice…"

Arachni was going to kill him and take what he wanted, so he remained quiet as if he was actually considering making Zoarn an apprentice before he answered. "You will show all to us and then we will test you… if you pass the test we will make you our apprentice…"

Zoarn took Arachni on a tour of his base which was mobile in case the Jedi or Republic discovered it. Then Zoarn showed Arachni his troops that had come from all over wild space and the outer rim. His army was made up of sith troopers and mercenaries; even a few war lords joined him and a host of battle droids from all over the galaxy. Like his army Darth Zoarn's fleet was just as impressive and a mix of old battle cruisers and ships remodeled from junk yards and such a few capital class ships of both republic and sith design and as his flag ship Zoarn used a brand new Mon Calamari star cruiser that had been upgraded with capital class star ship weapons. It was called the Sith's Destiny. After the tour Zoarn introduced Arachni to Admiral Niolus and the generals.

"These are the blue print designs I found when I visited the Massassi temple on Yavin… its called the force reaper…"

"And you have developed a force technique similar to thisss device?" Arachni asked.

"Yes…"

"Show it to us…" Arachni said interrupting him. Arachni was getting impatient and he was ready to continue on with his mission; he only had two more people on his death list and that was Visas Marr and Juhanni.

Zoarn brought Arachni to an open field a mile or two from the base and began teaching Arachni his new force technique the force well. It took Arachni one hour to master the technique and he was better at it than Zoarn.

"Impressive my lord it took…" His words were lost as he was gripped in the unbreakable hold of the force crush.  
>"If you don't recognize this technique it is called the force crush technique…" Arachni said gloating.<p>

Zoarn tried to summon his sith assassins, but they followed power and Darth Arachni was on another level. In desporation he tried to use the force well but all his power was being bound by Arachni and with the close of his hand every bone in Zoarn's body was broken. As Arachni stood over Zoarn's corpse twenty assassins appeared before him and dropped to one knee.

("Well done Lord Arachni…") Traya said touching his mind, ("…now send me a copy of the blue prints to the force reaper and the force well technique.")

Darth Arachni summoned Admiral Niolus and his generals and commanders, "We are Darth Arachni…" He said walking up and down their ranks, "…Darth Zoarn is dead. We command… continue with operations and recruitment… soon the republic will fall, but first we have a mission that must be completed… We are aware of your shortage of funds… we will solve that problem soon…" He looked at their faces one last time. "Dismissed…" The first thing Darth Arachni did was contact T3 who was still on Maraluka and when he sent the proper code signal the droid piloted the ship to Suuvaf. It would be a week or more before T3 arrived so Darth Arachni busied himself by building a new lightsaber and like Brianna's the new one was collapsible; building a new lightsaber took one day. The next thing he did was reorganize his new army and to keep them battle ready Arachni would rent his army out to star systems at war provided they supplied the ships. He also put his five million credits into funding his army; Darth Zoarn's battle plan involved concurring the republic by attacking Coruscant and expanding outward; a bold plan that was now his. The day finally came when T3 arrived arrived on Suuvaf piloting Arachni's ship by himself. The droid had been on its own for the past two weeks and had functioned admorably considering the circumstances.

"Did you run into any problems?" the droid whisteled a no and asked how did Arachni escape Visas' clutches. "Skill and a force technique we learned from our master…"

Darth Arachni wanted his holocron, because it contained information on it that he had yet to learn. "Greetings my lord…" The gate keeper said when Arachni activated the holocron. "What do you wish to learn today…"

"Master show us everything in your files concerning force techniques we have yet to master…"

The gate keeper closed it's eyes, "One moment please…" after a few seconds the hologram opened it's eyes. "…The following force techniques have yet to be learned by you… Force bonding or as it is referred to by the sith force slaving… it is a technique whereby a force user can imprint yourself on another living being and take complete control of that person… the Jedi rarely use this technique, but the sith made use of it quit often… the next technique is force possession… a sith technique that allows the user to leave his body and take possession of another… be warned if your body is disturbed in any way it can be taken by another and if your body isn't cared for it will die… the next technique is force forging or sith alchemy as it is commonly called… this technique allows the user to pull metal from the ground and mold as the user wishes…"

"Wait…" A series of thoughts formed in Arachni's mind, "…Teach us sith alchemy…" For the next hour Darth Arachni learned the ins and outs of sith alchemy and within an hour he learned how to pull metal from the ground and mold it using the force; he also learned to create magnetic fields with the force and control medal. When he was done he summoned T3, "We have work to do…" The droid whisteled in excitement, "First… give us the technical blue prints for the following droids… Revan's assassin droid…" As Arachni said the names of the droids T3 projected them into the air; "…A Mandelorian battle droid and an Onderonian battle droid." With all three droids in front of him Arachni walked around them. "Remove all weaknesses and display strengths… good now combine all three and display. Increase height by six feet and save…" As Arachni looked at his new creation Traya's powerful mind touched him again.

("Send me a copy of your design as well…")

Arachni was furious, but what could he do; Traya was too powerful and he was still bound by his oath until he finished her death list. He told T3 to make another file on the droid they just designed and copy it to a hard file.

"Begin working on the brain and skeleton of my droid and add two power sources… one of them is to be the saber crystals…"

While T3 and several other droids began constructing the droids skeleton Darth Arachni withdrew large amounts of metal ore from the ground and began to heat them with the force. He also infused the metal with the force so that the metal could deflect all force attacks. Then he started molding the metal into plates for the droids armor; sometimes Darth Arachni would use force lightening on the metal to heat it. When the plates were done he handed them to T3 and the other droids.

"Make the eyes optical laser projectors…" He ordered looking at fifteen foot droid taking shape.  
>Admiral Niolus entered the lab and looked at the monstrosity, "If that is the prototype for our new battle droids I feel sorry for our enemies…"<p>

Arachni laughed, "No admiral this droid is coming with us to pay the jedi a visit in their temple…"

"A droid against Jedi… I'd pay to see that…" Niolus said.

"We need you here Admiral…"

"Of course my lord…"

Arachni turned to face him, "We have a special assignment for you…"

"Of course my lord whatever you desire…"

"Go through the old records and find us any former sith that may have gone into hiding…"

"I will get right on it my lord…"

It took another day; three in all to complete Darth Arachni's Doom Droid. The red eyes lit up when it was activated and the ground shook when it took a step. Arachni had the droid loaded into a special made droid holder then he had the droid loaded onto his new ship the loaner; he renamed it after his academy nickname. With T3 Arachni took off setting course for Coruscant.

Coruscant:

The Jedi Temple

Four weeks had past since Jedi Master Visas Marr fought Darth Arachni on the ashen surface of Maraluka; it was the twentieth hour of the night when a dark shadow fell over the Jedi Temple. Everyone even the younglings felt it and Jedi Master Visas Marr was in her private meditation chamber when she felt it. The Jedi came to life with people bustling in preparation for what was to come.

Gaffeen and Visas stood before Jedi Knights Voles, Tanis, and Moore giving them orders. ["Protect the younglings…"] Gaffeen said to the three young Jedi. Voles, Tanis, and Moore ushered the younglings to the lower levels where they were placed inside the training arena along with seven other veteran Jedi Knights and two masters. The doors were sealed and a hundred Jedi training droids lined the hallway; the droids were armed with lightsabers and the safe guards were turned off, so the droids were now free to kill who ever was foolish enough to try and get past them. In the corridor beyond the hall where the droids were another five Jedi were stationed as the first line of defense.

["Master Juhanni…"] Gaffeen ran up to her as she was preparing for the attack with the others.

"Yes grand master…"

He sighed, ["I have a request…"]

"Speak it…" She cautiously said; "…I shall grant it if possible."

["Will you wait in the council chambers… several masters will be placed outside and in the chambers for your protection…"]

"Grand Master I am well capable of taking care of myself…"

["I know Master Juhanni, but humor me… this sith lord is after you and Master Visas…"] Juhanni reluctantly agreed to his request and the Masters assigned to her for protection was Masters Mia Shale, Laon Tunnel, Dainor Rimjall, Fiorra Hinn, and Gallo Helm. The aliens Dainor Rimjall and Fiorra Hinn along with the human Mia Shale were stationed on the inside of the chambers while Tunnel and Helm were stationed outside the doors along with two Jedi droids and three knights.

In the skies of Coruscant Darth Arachni's ship the Loaner flew at twenty-four thousand feet towards the Jedi Temple. He stretched out with his mind and located Visas Marr then he found Juhanni surrounded by several masters. He grunted at what he considered a pathetic effort to try and divide his targets making it harder for him to get to the two Jedi, but Arachni had a surprise for them in the form of his Doom droid.

"T3 take the controls and stay at this altitude…" Arachni opened the drop door and the Droid carrier plummeted towards the temple; then Arachni vanished in a red flash.

"Look out…" A Jedi screamed as the droid carrier smashed through the roof of the foyer; two jedi were killed when the carrier hit the floor. "What the hell is that…" The same Jedi said.

The front of the carrier opened up to reveal a fifteen foot tall droid whose eyes glowed red as it stepped out of the carrier; the droid carrier was vertical when it hit.

"A droid… the sith send a droid to stop us…" The Jedi said running towards it with his lightsaber in hand.

"No wait…" Visas screamed, but it was too late. The Jedi jumped and flipped over the droid's head twisting his lightsaber trying to decapitate it, but the green blade didn't even scratch the droid as it grabbed the Jedi out of the air by his sword arm and broke it; the droid unsheathed a wrist dagger and stabbed the Jedi in the chest and threw him through the glass window into the garden. In response several knights threw out their hands and tried to crush the droid, but their force powers were dissipated by the armor. The droid fired red lasers from it's eyes and killed nine Jedi. Visas stepped forward and pointed her hand at the droid and a blue shaft of light shot from her palm, but her force attack had no affect on the droid.

Juhanni paced back and forth as she felt her fellow Jedi die and was unable to help in any way. "I should be there helping…" She yelled.

"So should I…" Mia said; "…but we all have our parts to do and this is it."

Juhanni was about to respond when the room filled with a bright red light and when it faded Darth Arachni was standing in their mist. The masters ignited their lightsabers, but Arachni threw his hands out and unleashed a force a wave that destroyed the council chambers. The roof was blown completely off and the walls as well; there were glass everywhere and Rimjal, Mia, and Fiorra had been thrown to the floor. The Jedi outside the doors rushed in as Arachni vanished in another red flash only this time Juhanni vanished as well.

"Master Juhanni…" Helm screamed looking left and right, "…We have to find her."

["We shall…"] Rimjall said closing his eyes and searching for Juhanni with his mind. ["I've found her she is two blocks away on the roof of droid service building…"] They all rushed and jumped out the window and ran up the street.

Juhanni stood up; traveling through the force like that made her dizzy, but she was able to regain her composure. "So Master Juhanni… we finally meet…" Arachni said standing a few feet from her.

Juhanni unhooked her lightsaber and ignited it; the blue energy blade hummed and hissed as she strode towards the strange alien sith. "Yes we finally meet… only it will be a meeting that will end badly for you…" Juhanni charged Arachni with all her might and speed amplified by the force; she surprised Arachni with her knowledge of lightsaber combat flowing from one form to the next; her fighting technique was unorthadox, but effective. Arachni swung left and right and spun around using his saber as a guard while he followed with a kick that landed a hit in her face. Juhanni hit the ground and spun around with a force punch that was incredibly strong; strong enough to break a rib and leave a dent in his armor the size of two fists. Juhanni followed up with a force wave that shattered the roof and sent Arachni tumbling into the droid service building. Arachni landed on a conveyor belt and was about to be stabbed by several hydro screw drivers; he rolled out of the way just in time. Juhanni jumped down screaming in a chopping motion, Arachni blocked the attack and wrentched her saber from her hand. He was about to finish her off when Juhanni unleashed a series of force punches that rattled Darth Arachni; as he stumbled backwards Juhanni summoned her lightsaber and went on the attack. Arachni went into a role and came up on his knees weaving a wall of blade energy around him in defense; Juhanni took a deep breath and threw several droid parts at him.

Arachni's anger was getting hotter by the second, he shouldn't be having this much trouble with a Jedi like Juhanni. ("This Jedi is…") He didn't continue his mental statement because he finally realized what Juhanni was doing as he traded blows with the Cathar. Juhanni was one of those masters who could convert dark side energy into light force energy and use against her opponenent; she had been using his own rage against him. With that knowledge Arachni changed tactics and went into a complex series of attacks that backed her into the relay station for the main droid brain of the service center. Then Arachni turned his double blade into two weapons and spun around blocking with his left and stabbed with his right, but Juhanni jumped up onto his arm; aggravated Darth Arachni's body became a lightening rod as he unleashed a storm of force lightening. Juhanni hit the floor and Arachni cut off both her arms at the elbow; he reconnected his weapon into a double blade and hooked it to his belt.

"You have caused us more time than we cared to waist on you…" He picked her up by the throat and unleashed lightening into her body; poor Juhanni wriggled as she was electrocuted at point blank range. Arachni slammed her body to the floor cracking her skull open. He stood over her burnt corpse and bent over and took her lightsaber just as the Masters burst into the service center. Arachni vanished in his force teleport leaving the Jedi to mourn over Juhanni's burnt body.

Meanwhile the Jedi in the temple had managed to keep the doom droid in the foyer, but the droid killed four more Jedi before Haal Wendu grabbed a chunk of the ceiling in the force and broke it up; then he dropped it on the droid. The droid started to get up so it was Visas who ran at full speed and leaping forward she became a living spear and stabbed the droid in its right eye. She flipped over the droid's head as she withdrew her saber from the droids now damaged eye. Visas repeated the move going for the left eye only this time when she leapt the droid caught her out of the air. With one hand the droid crushed her pelvis and threw her into the wall near the steps.

"Master…" Haal yelled, but it was too late and all he could do was watch as Arachni appeared using that strange force technique.

Arachni made a hissing laugh as he stood over Visas' body he ignited the left end of his saber and stabbed her in the back. He took her lightsaber from her cold hand and vanished again. The sight of his dead Master angered him, but Haal Wendu controlled it; he threw one of his sabers at the droid taking out the other eye and called his saber back to his hand. Haal pointed both his hands at the droid and poured all his power into the droid overloading its crystal and armor. The doom droid just fell apart unable to handle that much force energy and it was over.

"Switch over…" Darth Arachni said ordering T3 as he sat in the pilot's chair, "…Micro jump to Borleias; we'll hide on the moon until I have contacted the admiral…" The loaner flew skyward crossing over into the vacuume of space and made a micro-jump to a planet in the core called Borleias.

An hour later construction droids were already repairing damaged parts of the Jedi Temple and all the Jedi in the temple gathered in the garden to memorialize their fallen comrads. The deaths of Jedi Masters Jahanni and Visas Marr weighed heavily on everyone especially Haal Wendu. Haal's anger was there but he kept it in check; his former master had taught him well. He wanted to go after this Darth Arachni, but he first had to get permission from the Jedi Council. As he waited outside the doors to the room of enlightenment Visas' ghost appeared to him.

They smiled at each other, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you…" Haal said.

"You don't have to apologize… The force is with you Haal Wendu…"

"Tell me what to do master…"

"Wait… the sith will come to you… You won't have to chase him…"

"I understand master…"

As her image faded the doors opened and a droid ushered Haal into the room where the masters were waiting. The room of enlightenment was a circular room where students came for group training sessions conducted by hologram.

"Thank you masters for seeing me… I would like to request that no action be taken against this Darth Arachni… it is what he would want… we should make him come to us…"

The masters looked at one another and it was Lazz who said; "A strange request young Jedi… what bought on this change?"

He smiled, "Master Visas appeared to me and advised me so…"

Master Gaffeen stood up, ["…This will be our course of action then. Meeting adjourned…"]

Before anyone could leave they all felt the familiar presence of Jedi Master Vandarr. They all smiled when the dimiuative entered the room with Jedi Masters Kavar, Zez Ki Yell, and Vrook.

["Master Vandarr… Vrook, Kavar, Ki…"]

They all greeted each other and offered them the places of their fallen comrades. Haal Wendu excused himself since he wasn't a master.

Gaffeen stood up and walked up to Vandar; ["Master Vandarr I gladly relinquish the title of grand master to you…"]

He waved Gaffeen off; "Necessary not that will be… but tell us what has happening been…"

So Gaffeen and the other masters explained about the new Sith Lord, Darth Arachni and how he killed their fellow masters. They talked for another three hours then Vandarr and the others were officially made members of the council again.

Open space: Between Onderon and the Hapes Cluster

Mandar Fett had contacted the Hapan liason in order to collect his bounty, but first he had to prove Liorran Hapes was dead. They agreed to meet in open space that lie in-between the Hapes cluster and the Onderon system.

When his ship came out of hyperspace he was greeted by three Hapan battle dragons, "This is Mandar Fett… requesting permission to dock in your hanger… I've come to collect the bounty on Liorran Hapes…"

The ship docked in the hanger and when Mandar exited the ship he was greeted by a tall woman whose hair was braided down her back. She inspected him as a tactician would a battle field to exploit an enemy's weakness. She greeted him and he her then Mandar handed her a royal emblem; a broach that had once belonged to Liorran.

"Well done Mandelorian…" She arrogantly said; "…You have rid the consortium of a troublesome problem… a pebble in my queen's boot…"

"Your thanks will mean much more when I have the credits…"

She smiled; "Of course…" She snapped a finger and three teams of four men came forward carrying three crates of credits. They loaded them on board the ship and Mandar turned on his heels like the trained warrior he was and walked up the ramp. Before leaving he scanned the crates to make sure they weren't booby trapped or caring tracking or listening devices; they weren't.

He cleared the hangar and micro-jumped to Dxun to rondevous with Liorran.

"We are rich…" she declared throwing the credit chips in the air.

"We need to get to Nar Shadda so we can get some fake IDs and then I going to look for my people…"

Liorran looked at him sad, "What do you mean by I… you trying to ditch me already…"

In response he tackled her to the bed and stared at her, "I'm not letting you out of my sight… you and me all the way…"  
>Neither of them had said it, but they loved each other; Liorran because he helped her forget all her problems and now the royal family thought she was dead and Mandar loved her for her strength, her beauty, wit and confidence. She made him forget the fact that his entire clan was dead and he was the last of the Fett clan at least for the time being because of Traya's words he was more apt to rebuild his clan or at least continue a strong blood line.<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17. Darth Caos

**To anyone reading my stories many apologies I am doing so much that I didn't realize the rest of this story hadn't been uploaded please read and review**

"What have you foud…" Darth Arachni asked Admiral Niolus via holo-transmission. He was still on Borleias in a suit he had rented. T3 was at his side as usual.

"I found three candidates for you my lord… of the three we know the location of two…" A hologram of a Twi'lek appeared next to Niolus'; "…his name is Rinal Mi he was a student at the Trayus Academy last known location Serroco …he hasn't been seen since." The hologram of a man in his early twenties replaced Ranal's image; "His name is Deban Steel… He's Corellian and a former apprentice of the academy on Korriban …He fled the academy after Revan killed the Master of the academy and his apprentice. He's living on Alderran with his wife and three children… He also has a brother in the Republic Fleet…" Deban's image was replaced by another human. "His name is Miko also a former student from the academy on Korriban… He works as a bounty hunter for the Black Heth…"

"Send me everything you have on Steel… he will make a perfect apprentice…" Niolus saluted and sent the file; then his image vanished. Darth Arachni studied and read the file which took twenty-minutes; then he and T3 left the hotel after paying the bill and went to the hanger five blocks away where the loaner was docked. After a six minute preflight checklist the loaner took off.

Alderran:

The mountain terrains of Alderran were the most beautiful in the galaxy; people from all corners of the galaxy came to visit oceans of Aldess Mountain and the frozen tundra of Mars mountain. Alderran was the cultural center of the galaxy; its art, culture, architecture, and philosophy influenced and touched many civilized worlds throughout the Galatic Republic in one way or another.

Alderran was a peaceful planet and one of the oldest members of the Galatic Republic. A pascifist world the people of Alderran didn't make or even carry weapons, but it supported the Republic with its wealth. It was said that if you were poor and you wanted to get rich then go to Alderran, because the planet had an open mining policy; anyone could come to the planet and mine its vast resources so long as the government got its cut. It was also the one place in the galaxy a person could get Nerf meat and other products created from the wooley animals.

Deban Steel was a former student of the Sith academy on Korriban and he was one of the few students to sense inimate danger from Revan's return to the school. Revan had come to Korriban pretending to be a fallen Jedi who wanted to join the sith; it worked and Revan killed most of the academy occupants. Deban was one of the few students to escape Korriban; he wondered the galaxy for a few years when he met a beautiful young Alderranian maid. It was love at first sight for the both of them and they married on Chandrilla and moved to Alderaran where they had three children. In order to support his family Deban became a Nerf herder a very successful Nerf herder. He and his wife Telesa had a thousand acre farm on the southern continent where he raised nerf for a living.

"What are you doing?" Telesa Steel asked standing in the doorway to the family storage room. She was as tall as her husband with her brown hair piled up high on her head. She had a strong bone structure and deep blue eyes and she wore a beige dress with a black vest.

Their eldest son Nowen was in the room looking through a metal chest where he found black robes and a small case with a curved lightsaber inside. "I was just looking…" He said removing the strange weapon from its case.

"Put that away before your father comes home…"

"But isn't this a lightsaber…"

She walked towards him and put the weapon back into the case and closed the trunk. "That is the past… and your father keeps it to remind himself of his past mistakes…"

"But if he was a Jedi…"

Telesa raised her hand, "Enough… it isn't something your father likes to talk about…" Nowen stormed out of the room angry and Telesa whispered, "…Because your father is afraid of what you would become." A tear slid down her cheek as she remembered the day her husband confessed his dark past to her and the fears he had concerning their children.

"Mom…"

Nowen's yell tore her from her saddened state and she grabbed a blaster from a hidden place inside the wall and ran to the front of the house where a strange looking alien stood in the main entrance.

"Who or what are you… and what do you want?" Telesa asked stepping in front of her son to shield him from the alien standing in the doorway.

"We are Darth Arachni… we want your husband for our apprentice and with your deaths he will join us…" Telesa shot him with her blaster rifle but he blocked the blaster bolt with his hand; then Arachni unleashed a storm of lightening upon Telesa and her son. He stood over their smoldering bodies and pushed them with his foot. Then Arachni made his way to the back where the other two children were hiding under the bed; using the force he levitated the bed into the air and ignited his lightsaber.

"You sold your entire stock… if this keeps up you will be rich enough to become an Alderranian lord…"

Deban laughed riding his fiol stallion across the mountain plains, "I'm not interested in high society… I just want to keep my family well provided for…" Fiol stallions were used in herding Nerf on Alderran; the horses had a huge fin instead of main on the necks and their tails were lizard like.

"Well if anyone deserved it…" The man riding beside Deban lost his voice as a tower of smoke rose up from Deban's house in the distance.

"Noooo…" Deban screamed as he sent his stallion into a run with his friend galloping right behind him. When he got near the house he jumped off his stallion and dashed into the smashed house and his breath caught as the sight of his slaughtered family filled his eyes. His wife and eldest son had been fried by some electrical burst and his two younger children had been killed by the all too familiar lightsaber slashes.

"What kind of a monster would do this…" Deban's friend asked as Deban knelt down before his dead loved ones and wept bitterly.

He let out a sobering scream as his old anger and hatred began to rise up turning his brown eyes yellow. Deban was so stricken with grief he ignored the foot steps and snap hiss of a lightsaber being ignited; he didn't even turn or move when his friend's head hit the floor with a thud and roled over to his side.

"They are dead…" A strange voice said from behind.

Deban let out a tortured scream as he jumped up and attacked the strange looking alien sith. He punched and kicked with all his might calling on the force to aid him. Deban made a spin kick, but the alien leaned back to avoid and blocked his punches and kicks with his armored forearm. Deban punched but the alien caught his fist in mid air twisted it and broke his wrist sending Deban to his knees. Deban looked up at the alien with his face twisted up and through clenched teeth he said; "Finish it…"

"Killing you would be pointless… your hatred and anger has made you powerful… join us and become our apprentice and then and only then will you be able to horness that power and get your revenge…"

Deban had tried to put the sith behind him but here it was a sith lord in his home and one who had killed his family. He wanted his revenge and responded the only way he could; "What is your name?"

"We are Darth Arachni…"

"Then I pledge myself to you… master and when your knowledge is mine I will kill you slowly and claim the title of lord of the sith as mine…"

"Good… you will no longer be known asss Deban Steel… You shall be… Darth Caos…"

"Thank you my master…" Caos stood up, "Shall we leave now master…"

"Burn this place to the ground every structure leave nothing standing…"

With his broken wrist Caos went to the back of the house to the storage room and removed from the metal case his apprentice robes and his lightsaber.

He returned to Arachni and together they left the house, "Remember your dead wife and children… you weren't there for them…" As Arachni spoke Caos' anger grew more and more. He pointed his hand at the main house and unleashed a force wave that collapsed the building, burying his dead wife and children inside. Then he destroyed the barn in the same manner and sheering barn and the droid work house.

"Well done… come let us go Lord Caos…"

They left Alderran behind and all that belonged to Deban Steel and went to Suuvaf and the moment Darth Caos' feet hit the surface of Suuvaf his training began. Caos was already familiar with lightsaber forms I – V and he was already an expert at the flowing technique. His force abilities included force illusions, agility, speed, force rage, force sight, mind manipulation, and he could use force choke. Through Darth Arachni's training Darth Caos added to his abilities force lightening, phasing, redirecting energy, force crush, force fighting like force punch. Days became weeks; weeks became months and months turned into years. Within three years Darth Caos had become a devastating weapon in service to Darth Arachni. He wielded a curved handled lightsaber; a lightsaber he built as an apprentice at the sith academy on Korriban.

Darth Caos knelt on one knee before Darth Arachni who had yet to bid him rise. The two sith master and apprentice was in the stellar map room looking at the galaxy as it presently stood. The Galatic Republic had increased by seven star systems since Julion Van Mont became Supreme Chancellor all its territory and members were outlined in blue. All systems trying to become a member were outlined in green all unexplored space was in gray and independent systems were in white. Darth Arachni zoomed in on the Bothan sector.

"You may rise…" Caos obeyed, "What do you know of the Bothans lord Caos?"

He shrugged, "A suspicious race… ruled by power hungry individuals… they love intrigue and espionage… they are known as the spy race…"

Darth Arachni kept his eyes on the screen, "The Bothans are applying for membership to the republic… more importantly this could be an opportunity to for us the sith to use to our advantage…" He handed Caos a data pad, "…Our spies have been operating in the Bothan sector for the past five months. We want you to chose a pawn from the list of political criminals on the data pad and set someone up in government who we can control and through the Bothans we will control the Senate."

"The Republic probably sent Jedi to aid with negotiations… how should I deal them…"

"We care not just make sure the person in charge is someone we can control… Here this will also aid in your mission…"

Caos bowed, "I will leave at once master…"

Bothuwai or the Bothan Sector:

The Bothans were an alien race driven by ambition and hunger for power; they were also known for being master politicians and spies, craving intrigue and subterfuge; their society had often been referred to as the spy lords. Bothans were naturally curios and suspicious of everyone and wanted to know everything. Bothans differed in facial appearance and body structure with canine, feline, and equine features and one day their race would play a pivotal role in shaping a future government but at the moment the bothan government was splintered. There were dozens of political factions fighting for power over the government and the military supported the politicians with the most credits or out of family loyalty. The Bothans was on the war path or they had been trying to create a Bothan Empire and etch their names in the stars like previous races such as the Mandalorians, the Rakata, and even the Hutts.

It was through the efforts of Ambassador Ryle Kellis that the Bothan political machine had come under one banner and that banner had agreed on joining the Galactic Republic. To aid him in his quest four Jedi had joined him on his mission Jedi Knights Oma Shindee (Rodian); Lance Gadou (Human); Vaila Tess (Human Female); and Jinar Laice (Falleen Female). Shindee was the senior Jedi on the mission; it was he and Tess who served as advisors to the ambassador. Gadou and Laice were on security detail along with Commander Rau Steel and twenty Republic commandoes.

Ambassador Kellis was in session with Bothan representatives discussing the details of the information act; the Bothans wanted to be excluded because no race in the galaxy had more secrets than the Bothans and they were loath to share those secrets.  
>As the conversation went back and forth Oma Shindee felt a disturbance in the force and looked at Gadou who had felt it as well. Shindee sent Gadou a message via personal PDA. Gadou descretely signaled Laice and Steel and they quietly exited the conference room.<p>

"What's going on?" Steel asked.

"You two inside… now…" Gadou ordered to the two commandoes at the door, "…Jedi Oma and I felt a disturbance in the force."

"Great…" Rau said.

"Are you sure…" Laice asked, "…I felt nothing."

"Well that nothing has come to Bothuwai… Commander take five of your men and descretely do a planetary search and have them report anything out of the ordinary… Jedi Laice will accompany you…" He turned his attention to the female Falleen. "…Make sure the Bothan star port security cooperates."

"What are you going to be doing?"

"Checking out the less reputable places on Bothuwai…"

"Be careful…" She said.

The disturbance the Jedi felt came from Darth Caos who had just landed on the planet. Caos was able to mask his dark presence from the Jedi by using his love for his wife and children; it worked to the point that the Jedi wasn't able to pinpoint his location, but they were aware something wasn't right. He had to move quickly and to accomplish his mission Darth Caos searched out the Hutts.

The Hutts had a presence on the Bothan world, but that presence was slowly being driven off the planet by the Bothan military and security forces. Caos had to tread softly at least until he made contact. He entered a cantina filled mostly with Bothans; there were a few humans here and there and a mix of aliens from Gand to Twi'leks there was even an Elomim in a corner. The cantina was a front for the Hutts.

"I'm here to see Riggo the Hutt…" Caos said walking up to the bar.

Every patron in the bar pulled out a blaster or blaster riffle and pointed it at Caos; he looked around the bar and smiled.

The bar tender was a Bothan, "Whose asking?" the Bothan said turning to face Caos.

Caos took out his curved lightsaber and slammed it on the counter, "The sith…"

The Bothan bar tender eyed the strange looking weapon his fur rippling, he then looked at everyone in the bar and with an eye signal they put their weapons away. "Racsus… take our friend here to the back…"  
>The Elomim stood up and lead Caos to a store room and with the pull of a canister the shelf went into the floor to reveal a stair way that lead underground to a large thrown room where a human man of thirty years of age sat with a slave girl sitting at his right and left; the woman on the right was a Twi'lek and the woman on the left was human.<br>Caos looked around the room before turning his attention to the man, "You are no Hutt…"

"No I'm not… I was adopted by Garma the Hutt after his son and my parents were killed by the Black Heth… So what can I do for the sith…"

"I need to break a political prisoner out of the detention center…" Caos pulled out a holo-pad and projected an image of a white and brown furred Bothan.

Riggo smiled; "That is General Myac Fell… he is under heavy guard and he ran a political organization none as the True Sons of Bothuwai… security is top notch… his supporters tried three times to bust him out and all three times they failed… this Bothan is the most feared Bothan in the system…"

"Are you finished because I am not hiring you to bust him out I am hiring you to make it look like Correllian terrorists did the job… I'm going to do the job myself… also I want to make it look like the Bothan Prime Minister paid the Black Heth to kill the Republic Ambassador party…" It was common knowledge that the Bothan Prime Minister was publicly against the Bothans joining the Republic.

Riggo sat back in his chair stroking the Twi'lek's right head tail, "That is going to cost… five million credits…"  
>Darth Caos reached into his robe and removed a PDA and sent a message to Darth Arachni. "I need an account…" Riggo took a piece of parchment and wrote on it and handed it to the human slave girl who gave it to Caos. "The credits are in the account, but it needs a release code to access them… I will give you the code when the job is done…"<p>

Riggo stood up, "Give me three hours and everything will be in place…"

Caos was about to leave, but he stopped and turned around, "One more thing… I need a doctor who will perform permanent medical surgery… off the books…"

"Fine it to will be done at no extra cost…" Before leaving Caos handed Riggo a com device so he could contact him. Darth Caos was escorted out of the thrown room by the Elomim back upstairs where he ordered a drink and went to a nearby hotel where he check in as Hartler Cast.

"Did you find anything?" Gadou asked to Laice and Commander Steel.

It was Steel who answered, "A ship arrived about an hour ago… a one man long range ship… It transmitted the call sign the War Star but the ship was lost after it entered the atmosphere…"

"I think we found our disturbance in the force…" Laice said.

Gadou paced back and forth and stopped when he looked at Laice; "Continue your search with the commandoes… I will join you again after I speak with Jedi Oma.

The Conference Room:

Oma Shindee stood up, ["Perhaps we should take a break…"] The gathered representatives agreed to reconviene in an hour.

"What's going on my friend…" Ambassador Kellis asked to Oma.

["What makes you think something is wrong…"] Oma asked.

"I have been traveling with you long enough to know when you are uneasy my friend… so fess up…"

["Just a security measure… these Bothans are… unpredictable at times…"]

Kellis didn't believe the Rodian but he didn't press the issue so he retired to his state room. Oma met with the other Jedi in the adjacent room that was being used as a security room.

["What's the story?"] Oma asked.

Gadou said; "My people checked the star port… over seventy long range star ships arrived within the last hour… some have already left the system… of those one ship went missing after it cleared the check point…"

"Any leads…" Vaila Tess asked.

"Nothing yet… I have Laice and Commander Steel looking into it further…"

Oma raised his head summoning the force to search the planet. He saw flashes of the cantina the Rancor's Blood. ["There is a Cantina called the Rancor's Blood see what you can find out from the Bothan authorities about it."]

"Yes sir…" Gadou replied.

Gadou went to the Bothan security office where he met with the Director of planetary security Nywan Dasa. The Bothan had black fur a rarity among Bothans and in the old days it meant that a Bothan with such fur had a special connection to the spirit world.

"We've had our eyes on the Rancor's Blood for the past few months… we believe it is a front for the Hutts and we've been trying to remove their fat pasty slime ridden carcases from our world for some time now…" Dasa said this after Gadou showed up and questioned him about the cantina Oma had seen in his visions.

"Why haven't your people moved on the place…"

"Evidence… we made a raid on the place last week and found nothing… and now my office is tied up in civil suits from the owner…"

"Do you have any freelance mercenaries on your pay role…" The Jedi asked.

"Of course…" He eyed Gadou suspiciously. "What do you have in mind…"

"Well I was thinking… perhaps the Jedi should conduct the raid this time…"

Dasa seemed uneasy with Gadou's plan; "I don't know… if you raid the Cantina and find nothing it will definitely hurt the membership negotiations and the Judge advocate is already threatening to remove me from my position…"

Gadou smiled, "I think I can guarantee we will turn up something and if we don't I will take the full blame for it…"

Dasa sighed; "My public funds are tied up until this civil suit is settled you're going to have to pay the mercenaries yourself…"

He smiled again, "That won't be a problem… I would like a public recorder present just in case we do find something…" When they agreed on the plan Gadou made his way to the space port cantina and spa club where the mercenaries liked to hang out and hired fifty men.

Botorni Maximum Security Detention Center:

The Botorni detention center was the most heavily armed and secured building on Bothuwai. It was home to high ranking military and political criminals in the system; including both bothan and non-bothan prisoners. Of the prisoners in the detention center the most dangerous was General Myac Fell whose family started the Bothan Imperial campaigns; he personally started the political organization the True Sons of Bothuwai. His organization rose to power quickly and preached the purification of the Bothan system and that Bothans were the superior race. His political views and ambitions marked him as a heretic and revolutionary, but the government couldn't afford to kill him or his followers would rise up and start a civil war.

As the guards was changing the men Darth Caos hired planted bombs and evidence to make it look as if Corellians had caused the damages. Darth Caos walked up to the main security room dressed as a holo-reporter.  
>He showed the Bothan the fake ID and said; "Derras Gad for Stellar News Corporation… I have an intervue with Warden Hysk…"<p>

Hysk was the detention Warden and he ran the facility like a well oiled machine and no one had ever escaped from the facility, but that record was about to be tarnished with what Caos had in mind. As soon as he gained access to the detention center Caos began force flashing cameras then he killed his escorts and he and his companions hid the bodies in a small store room; then they made their way to the main security office where Darth Caos killed the men inside with gas grenades. With the Bothans dead he released all the low level prisoners because the high ranking ones could only be released by a code key. While the security forces tried to restore order Caos and his men were able to move more freely around the detention center.

The east wing of the detention center is where they kept the high security prisoners and it operated on a separate system. Darth Caos used his illusion power to trick the security forces into fighting each other; what they saw was Corellians storming the east wing from the out and inside and the explosions added to the illusions. The security forces were fighting each other and the Bothan security droids was confused by the actions of there alien counterparts. Caos stood before Myac Fell's door, he ripped the door off the track and dropped it to the floor. Caos entered the room as Myac stood up and before he could ask Caos who he was; Caos waved his hand and put Myac to sleep. He scooped him and placed the Bothan on his shoulder while one of the Hutt thugs who came with him a human placed a dead Bothan in the cell and threw a bomb in the room.  
>"Lets go…" Caos said.<br>As the chaos unfolded Darth Caos and his hired help took their prize and escaped through garbage shoot. Three hours passed before the mess was sorted out and all the answers were still unanswered. ["You feel that?"] Oma asked Laice. The ranking Jedi had come to investigate what had happened at the facility themselves.

"Dark energies…" The Falleen Jedi responded, "…Very organized. Someone has been well trained."

A Bothan officer ran up to the Jedi, "Jedi Oma… the Warden asked me to fetch the two of you… there is something he wants you both to see…"

The two Jedi followed the Bothan through the damaged facility as droids and Bothans rounded up criminals. The Bothan lead them to the east wing where the door to a cell lay on it's side. The dark side energy required to rip the door off the track was enormous. The Jedi looked at each other as the Warden told them about the dead body they found in the cell.

"DNA analysis concluded that it was General Myac who died in the explosion…"

Oma bent down and examined the door; ["This door was removed before the explosion…"]

"How…" Hysk asked.

"We aren't sure…" Tess said answering, "…but as soon as we learn the truth we will let you know." The two Jedi could feel he wasn't convinced but they were releaved when he didn't pursue the matter. Tess pulled Oma to the side; "We need to contact the high council…" Oma didn't reply but he nodded in agreement.

The Rancor's Blood Cantina was surrounded by fifty hired mercenaries and they were being lead by Jedi Knights Gadou and Laice. It was Gadou who gave the order to move in.  
>The same patrons filled the cantina most employees of the Hutt and the rest were honest patrons there for a drink and a good time. That ended when the Jedi burst into the cantina with fifty heavily armed men.<br>"Everyone put your hands in the air…" He shouted.

At the same time Laice yelled, "No one move this is a raid…"

Laice walked up to the bar and the bar tender raised his hands and said. "Not again… what is it with you people… My business is legit…"

"It's not a good idea to lie to a Jedi…" Laice replied.

Most of the patrons had the good sense to hide their weapons under the tables so when the commandoes frisked some of the patrons they didn't find any weapons.

Gadou was walking around the bar and the commander walk up to him, "…Sir we found wepons on a few patrons many of the weapons we found are illegal."

They kept walking until Gadou stopped in front of a book shelf; "Arrest the culprits…"

Nervous the bartender yelled, "This is harassment Jedi… and you have no jurisdiction here…"

Gadou looked in the bartender's direction; "Nervous…" The bartender grunted, Gaodu turned back to the shelf and waved a hand. With a nudge of the force the shelf went into the floor to reveal a stairway that lead underground.

"Now…" The bartender shouted pulling a gun froom beneath the bar.  
>The Hutt patrons pulled their guns from beneath the tables and a fire fight broke out. Blaster bolts whizzed back and forth and in the first volley three mercenaries went down; along with five innocent bystanders and four Hutt grunts. Gadou batted away the blaster bolts; his green blade buzzing through the air. He backed down the steps and was joined by Commander Steel who poured blaster bolts back up the stairs.<p>

With Steel covering the steps back up to the cantina Gadou turned just in time to deflect blaster bolts coming from the underground room. Whirling his saber side to side, up and down diagnoly and horizontal he stretched out with his mind to see how many men were in the large room. There were over four dozen not including the armed droids.

"I need a grenade nothing lethal…" He shouted behind him.  
>Commander Rau threw him a grenade over his shoulder and with the force the grenade landed his hand; it was a flash grenade. Gadou threw it down the steps and with a bang he charged down the steps using the force to guide his actions. Another twenty-six minutes passed before the fight was over; the mercenaries stood over the five people and three aliens who surrendered. The bartender and Riggo the Hutt got away and Gadou was talking with Laice when Dasa entered the Cantina.<br>"Tell me you found something because the Prime Minister is screaming bloody murder…"

Both Gadou and Laice smiled, but she was the one who answered; "Yes we found a stock pile of weapons, spice, tec weed, and data pads with the name of a few Bothan politicians on the Hutt pay role…"

Gadou sighed; "Riggo the Hutt got away… and so did the bartender… Sir we need to report to Jedi Oma Shindee if you will excuse us…"

Although another major Hutt front had been exposed due to the efforts of the Jedi the application negotiations were unaffected by the incident but Ambassador Kellis still expressed his concerns about it.

General Myac's head was spinning and the last thing the Bothan remembered was a man dressed in black garb barging into his cell. A wave of fatigue had overcome him; when he awoke he was in a private medical room. His face felt funny and he got up not noticing the shadowy figure in the chair on the other side of the room. When he looked into the mirror Myac gasped because his canine features had been altered to be feline and his brown and white fur was now gray with black spots here and there.

"From now on you will be known as Vefar' Sanx…"

Myac's military training kicked in as he spun around into a defensive crouch. The familiar voice came from the man who rescued him from his cell; "Who are you… what do you want?"

"I am Darth Caos and you are in my debt…"

Myac stood straite and tall, but he still kept his guard up, "The word going around the galaxy was that Sith were extinct…"

"Perhaps you should update your information sources… six Jedi Masters have died at the hands of my master…"

"And who is your master…" Myac had been speaking in basic because in his mind Darth Caos was unworthy to hear his language.

"Darth Arachni…" Caos finally stood up; "Your government is about to become a member of the republic but the Prime Minster is against it… I am going to kill the Republic Ambassador party and make it look as if the Prime Minister did it…"

Myac smirked; "The Jedi will never believe it…"

Caos hunched his shoulders, "Maybe but the Jedi will let it stand they don't want the general public knowing the sith are involved in recent events…"

Myac flicked his ears; "And how do I fit into all this…"

"As I said you are now Vefar' Sanx… you will learn your role and contact your subordinates and tell them not to retaliate, but to back Sanx… You will be the spokes Bothan for all Bothans and with my guidance your journey will take you to the Senate and finally Supreme Chancellor…" Darth Caos smiled to himself as he felt Myac's emotions.

"Supreme Chancellor Myac Fell…"

"No… Supreme Chancellor Vefar' Senax…"

Caos summoned a special made droid he had programmed to teach Myac all he would need to know to play the part of Vefar' Senax. When Caos left the room he was met by by Riggo and the Bothan bartender.

"I lost my entire operation because of you…"

Caos sneered and extended a claw like hand and strangled Riggo until he went to his knees coughing, "I am Darth Caos and you would do well to remember that when addressing me…" He released Riggo and the Bothan bartender took a step back. "…Now if you are wondering why you are still alive…" As Caos spoke Riggo slowly stood up; "…it is because I still have need of you and since I am feeling generous I have secured you a gambling contract under a new alias. The Hutts will have the run of the place and a front to operate out of… are your men in place for the next phase of my plan…"

Riggo was rubbing his throat and he surprised Caos by staring him in the eyes, "Yes… they are in place and the paper trail has been created to lead the Bothans to the Prime Minister…"

Caos smiled and handed Riggo a data pad, "All the information you need on your new business is on there…"

Riggo snatched the pad and returned Caos' stare with the same anger. Caos left him brewding in his own anger. "Maybe we should cut our losses and space this place…" The bartender said.

"No we have a more profitable business even if it came from the sith…"

"Then you should contact your father and tell him his clan is involved with the sith…"

Riggo looked at the Bothan with a stare that caused the Bothan to flinch, "My father fears nothing and neither do I…"

Oma Shindee and the other Jedi met in their make shift security room to discuss the latest developments. ["I spoke with the Jedi Council…"] Oma was cut off as Amdassador Kellis entered the room with all his security guards.

"Ambassador…" Tess said, "…is everything alright… has something happened?"

Kellis and his men looked at the Jedi confused and disoriented; "I… I don't know I had the sudden urge to come in here…"

Oma walked right up to Kellis and placed his hands on the side of his head; ["He has been influenced by the dark side…"] Oma declared.

There was a snap hiss of a lightsaber and one of the republic commandoes decapitated Kellis and threw out his arms unleashing a force wave. Everyone including the Jedi was thrown to the floor or some hit the wall. The assassin force threw his lightsaber and like a boomerang the weapon spun around the room and killed seven people.

As the blade spun through the air Gadou leapt off the floor screaming his lightsaber raised high in a chopping motion to kill the mysterious man. The commando raised a claw like hand and Gadou was grabbed in the force; every bone in Gadou's body had been grabbed and he couldn't break the hold as he was suspended in the air. Laice tried to come to his aid by breaking the warrior's concentration; she attacked but Gadou was still held in the air. As her lightsaber came towards the attacker's head his lghtsaber returned to his hand. The warrior batted away her attack and spun around killing another commando who tried to help her. He ducked blocking her attack and grabbed her sword hand; he tried to twist her hand but Laice jumped up and drop kicked him. The warrior threw out his hand and slammed Gadou into the ceiling then he threw his saber like a dart pinning the Jedi to the ceiling when he had hit the floor. Every Jedi and commado still alive tried to rush the warrior but he unleashed a lightening storm that killed most of the commandoes. The Jedi blocked the infamous attack with their lightsabers and converged on the unidentified attacker who jumped up and snatched his saber off the ceiling; he placed his feet on the ceiling and leapt for the balcony. He landed in a role with the Jedi right on his heels and a deadly melee broke out between all four. It was three on one, but the warrior extended his mind to four of the six commandoes alive and ordered them to attack the Jedi. Oma, Tess, and Laice had to devide their attention between fighting the sith warrior and wounding the commandos. The balcony was filled with four force users and four commandos; blaster shots rang out and energy blades hissed as they were battered against one another and the sound of vibro-swords were added to the commotion.

The warrior jumped up twenty feet into the air and grabbed the balcony in the force and pushed with all his might; the balcony broke up as it was torn from the side of the building. As the balcony and all on it plummeted to the ground the warrior twisted in the air and used the force to alter gravity around his body so when his feet hit the side of the building he ran down the wall back to the balcony opening and flipped inside.

The warrior removed his helmet and electrocuted one of the two remaining commandoes. The last one alive was Rau Steel who gasped as he looked upon the face of the traitor. "Deban…"

He smiled but his face contorted as he sensed something coming, "I have to take care of something first don't move…" With a force nudge and flick of his hand Caos broke his brother's leg.

Rau howled in pain holding his twisted leg as Oma Shindee came flying into the room through the balcony opening with his lightsaber drawn; ["Who are you…"]

"I am Darth Caos…" Caos looked the Rodian up and down. He was taller than your normal Rodian a foot taller and he was very muscular. "…And you are?"

["Oma Shindee… Jedi Knight…"]

"Good you know my name and I know yours… now you can die…"

Caos made the first move and Oma responded with high and low attacks trying to get a feel for Caos' saber skills. Oma's tactics only enraged Caos and he used that rage to fuel his power, speed, and strength. He held nothing back in his assault flowing from one form to another. Oma responded with a calm peaceful knowledge as he flowed from one style to another; then he went into form six the way of the Rancor and he stayed in that form for the duration of their fight. Both Jedi and sith were evenly matched as they augmented their styles with kicks and punches and then they used the force on one another. Oma tried to shove Caos with a blast of force energy, but his barrier dispelled it; Caos responded with force illusions but Oma didn't acknowledge them. Caos was running out of time so he used the death and destruction he had caused and summoned the power of the dark side then he added his own dark energy to the building ball of energy he was gathering around his body; then he released it a blast of raw energy struck Oma who tried to block it with his own force defenses but the onslaught was too much. Oma hit the wall and tried to recover, but before he could a red energy blade was in his chest; the tall Rodian fell and died.

Caos was tired, but only by half his strength; "Move in…" He said into a wrist com. He stretched his mind out again to make sure the people inside the embassy were still unconscious; then he turned his attention to Rau Steel.

He was breathing heavy because of the pain in his leg, "Deban… how could you turn back to the sith... you told me that was all behind you… you said your wife…"

Growing angry Caos barked; "They're dead… Telesa, Nowen, Barlom, Aran, and Rau… all dead…" Caos was standing over Rau now.

Rau felt sympathy for his brother; "How…"

"The sith… he came for me… my Master Darth Arachni killed them… my anger was so great and my desire for revenge was so hot I joined him and when I surpass him… I will be the new lord of the sith…"

Still breathing heavy Rau tried to stand up, but he couldn't; "I can help you Deban… let me try… you don't have to do this…"

Caos grabbed Rau by the throat and lifted him into the air; "Deban was weak and he coudn't protect his family… only Darth Caos can get the revenge required…" He slammed Rau against the wall. "…Don't cross me again brother or I will kill you…" He dropped Rau and let him fall on his bad leg; "…Perhaps one of your descendants can remove the stain I have placed on our family, but for now… fairwell my brother and goodby."

With that Darth Caos left the room while agents of the Hutt made it look like the Black Heth was behind the attack. They replaced holo-videos with their own videos of what happened and Caos mentally altered the minds of the people in the embassy.

An hour later Caos was leaving the planet his job done and he didn't want to be around when the Jedi showed up. The high council sent Master Jedi Shar Madriks to investigate the deaths of Oma Shindee and the others. Jedi Knights Haal Wendu, Terran Voles, and Bairon Moore accompanied the Jedi Master to Bothuwai.

"We have already arrested the Prime Minister… it was he who was behind the attack…"

"Really…" Madriks asked skeptical of Director Hywan's statements especially with all the dark side energy he was feeling.

"Yes we have footage of the incident and one man who survived the attack Commander Rau Steel… but he refuses to discuss it with us he wants to speak with a Jedi…"

Madriks grunted; "We'll see him… after we've viewed the footage…"

An hour later the four Jedi watched a holo-vid in disbelief of Deila Shyren killing the Republic Ambassador party and destroying the embassy suit.

"Padawan Deila is strong but to take on Jedi Oma and Laice… this I cannot believe…" Voles said.

Madricks didn't believe it either and he was getting the feeling that the footage was a fake. Keeping their oppions to themselves the Jedi followed Hywan to the place they were keeping Commander Rau Steel; who wouldn't speek until the room was clear of all non-Jedi.

In a slow, sad, monotone voice Rau told the Jedi what really happened to Kellis, the Jedi, and Ambassador party. "It is hard to explain, but Ambassador Kellis had this sudden urge to go to the Jedi and talk with them… my men and I wanted to accompany him with the same urgency, but when we entered the room none of us not even Ambassador Kellis could remember why we had come then it all fell apart… I heard the familiar snap hiss of a lightsaber and then Kellis' head was rolling across the floor… one of my commandos wielded the weapon… I thought it was Lt. Balof, but it wasn't…" Rau was nervous about revealing the identity of the man and he had no intentions of withholding the information and he had hoped the Jedi could sense that.

They did because Bairon Moore asked; "Can you describe him…"

"I will… but here the whole story…" He described the whole fight with the passion of a man who appreciates a good fight. "The man flipped into the room and removed his helmet…" He paused, "It was my brother Deban Steel…" If the Jedi were shocked they didn't express it in any way; "…A while back my brother and I wanted to be trained as Jedi, but the council refused stating we were to old… my brother decided to join the sith… I didn't and became a soldier in the Republic army…"

This time Voles interrupted him with a question; "If your brother joined the sith why didn't you report it…"

Rau sighed; "I had mixed feelings on the subject… I was afraid my superiors would discharge me and tell the Jedi and I thought you Jedi would decide to hunt him down and kill him…"

Madriks stood up and went to Rau Steel and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "The Jedi only kill as a last resort… and only if a particular sith can't be turned from the dark side…"

"Even so…" Moore said speaking up, "…and forgive me Master Madriks this Deban Steel is now more dangerous than ever…"

Rau couldn't sit anymore so he stood and started pacing; "After the sith academy on Korriban fell my brother went into hiding… two years after that he sought me out, because he had fallen in love and I helped him to marry an Alderranian named Telesa… I helped them get married and they moved to Alderran… I was able to hide his identity with help from some friends in high places…" A tear ran down his cheek, "…When he revealed his identity to me he said a sith lord named Darth Arachni killed his wife and four children… He said his desire for revenge could only be quenched by becoming Darth Arachni's apprentice… and he warned me that if I ever crossed his path again he'd kill me…" He looked at the faces of the Jedi and saw their compassion. "I didn't know what to think after that… the only kind word he showed me was that one of my decendents could remove the taint from our family… Also he calls himself Darth Caos now…"

Madriks looked at the other Jedi before he spoke; "If we presented these facts to the Jedi Council they might be inclined to train you… if the destruction your brother bought on this place is any indication of the strength he possesses then you may be the only one capable of stopping him… with the proper training of course…"

"I'm sorry, but I am out… as soon as I report to General Sayneer… I'm going to hand in my resignation…"

Moore and Voles looked at each other as Madriks said; "Perhaps you could help us to bait your brother into a trap…"

"No…" He said shaking his head, "…not after I just saw my brother take down nineteen commandoes and four Jedi single handidly… I am through… I have seen enough of combat, battle, and war…"  
>After that Rau Steel was released taking a private shuttle back to Coruscant while Master Shar Madriks and the Jedi remained on Bothuwai to investigate. Eventually the Prime Minister was arrested for his assumed role in the assassination of the Republic Ambassador party. While that was going on and the evidence against the Prime Minister kept growing Venar' Sanx was convincing the Bothan military commanders to unite under one banner most of whom were his allies when he was General Myac.<p>

Suuvaf:

Eight days later Darth Caos' ship was landing on a platform outside the Sith Military outpost. Darth Arachni stood at eight feet tall wearing his black and red armor and a flowing cape with a hood that was down. Standing behind him was his fleet officers and commanders who dropped to one knee as Darth Caos came down the ramp. When he stood before Arachni Caos dropped to one knee as well.

"Master as you have commanded I have set events into motion that will allow the sith to control the Bothan's admittance into the Republic…"

"Rise our apprentice…" Caos obeyed; "You are all dismissed…" Arachni said to the assembled commanders then he returned his attention to Caos. "You have done well…"

"Thank you master… It will please you to know that four Jedi have died at my hand…"

"Your training has made you strong…"

They started walking; "How long before we attack Coruscant Master?"

"Soon We want Venar' Sanx to be Senator of Bothuwai and We want to outnumber the Republic fleet Five to one before we make our move…"

"Then are we going to start recruiting more initiates to rebuild the sith…"

"Your ambition is admirable, but we aren't training anymore sith until we have taken control of Coruscant and We have destroyed the Jedi…"

The next day Darth Arachni began teaching Caos how to create a sith holocron and they sharpened their lightsaber skills against one another learning to fight as one in order to bring down the Jedi once and for all.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18. The Fett Bloodline

Mandar Fett was the last surviving member of the Fett clan and he had witnessed his mother die in battle defending their ancestral home against the Jedi and the armies they lead. It was his uncle who had saved him from a Jedi who was going to take him prisoner; Mandar had killed another Jedi by getting close enough to stab the Jedi in the chest with a vibro-blade he was fourteen at the time and Mandalorians taught their children to use weapons from the day they could walk. The weapon had been force ripped from his hand and the Jedi dragged the boy away, but his uncle came to the rescue killing the Jedi in an awesome display of skill and swordsmanship. They traveled the galaxy together until his uncle learned that Canderous Ordo had taken the reins as the new Mandalore. Mandar traveled with his uncle to Dxun in order to challenge Canderous for the leadership, but Zharron Fett fell to the blade of the new Mandalore and Mandar Fett was alone; the last surviving member of the noble Fett clan.  
>Mandar lay in bed aboard his Zendi-Twelve light star cruiser traveling through hyperspace to the Mandalorian war world of Magar Seven where the Mandalorians were gathering in force again. They all gathered together to answer the call of war sounded by the new Mandalore. Mandar wasn't going to Magar to join them he was looking for his own place in the galaxy and seeing where his feet would lead him. ("Your bloodline will play a significant role in future events…") Darth Traya's words echoed in his mind even now and were part of the reason he wasn't sleeping at the moment.<p>

Liorran the woman lying next to him whose death he faked stirred; "Is it time to get up…" She asked placing a hand over his scarred hairy chest.

He responded by kissing her hand, she was the one thing at present in his life that made sense to him; he sighed. "No… the nav-computer is programmed to warn me when it is time to for sublight engines…"

"Why do they call it a war world again…"

Fett smiled, "Because Mandalorians are pratical and we have seen the fall of many civilizations… most of which we caused… so there are planets out there many of them uninhabited worlds that our scientists hid large caches of weapons on…"

She rolled her body over laying her head in his chest, "I thought Revan destroyed all the Mandelorian tech and weapons…"

"Well as my uncle said… that is what we let Revan think…" Liorran looked at him confused and he saw her expression and continued to say; "Tricking a Jedi is not as hard as you think… your common everyday Jedi can sense general emotions… we Mandalorians study our enemies well before we wage war against them…"

"You are talking about Revan and Revan was no common Jedi…"

"No he wasn't… but even someone as powerful as Revan could be tricked…"

She looked at Fett, "You said was, but the word going around the galaxy is that Revan will come back and restore order to the galaxy and destroy the sith once and for all…" She was speaking with a mystical like tone in her voice.

"Revan is dead…"  
>Liorran gasped; "How do you know… You killed him…"<p>

"No… Before I hooked up with you I traveled with a sith lord named Darth Traya… It was she who killed Revan and the Exile…"

Liorran tried to search his face for anything that would indicate he was joking or lying but she saw nothing but the truth in his eyes. "If that is true then how come this Darth Traya isn't making war on the Republic like all sith…"

"Her plans are a lot more foresighted than that…" He could see that she wanted to hear more, "…and I have said too much already." Fett's stomach growled; "You hungry…"

Liorran hunched her shoulders; "I can take a bite…"  
>Fett smacked her on the butt before jumping out of bed and he went to the small on board kitchen and began preparing food for the two of them. "I don't care how many times I see you do it… it just doesn't seem right a man like you in the kitchen preparing food…"<p>

He grunted; "My father use to say that a man should know how to do two things in life hold a blaster and cook his own meals… unless you are marrying some farmer's daughter don't expect her to be your cook…"

She laughed; "In the Hapes consortium women rule in every aspect of life… a man's place is what we say it is…"

He stopped what he was doing and looked at her; "Why did you agree to try and assassinate your aunt?"

Liorran smacked her teeth; "Ambition and power… if I had succeeded my mother would be queen mother and I would be next in line for the thrown… of course I would have to kill my sisters to insure my rule…"

Mandar continued his food preparations and asked; "How did you get caught… and how did you escape?"

She sighed; "My failure was due to a stupid man… the Queen Mother's personal valet… he saw me coming out of the queen's private bath and discovered the device I had placed in the water feed…"  
>"What happened next?"<p>

"The royal guard came for me… and sense I was trained as a member of the guard I fought my way out… by the time I escaped the royal palace my mother and three of my four sisters were dead… I fled the planet but not before I took care of the queen's valet…"  
>"Why did the queen spare your sister…"<br>Liorran grunted; "She was my aunt's favorite niece… she couldn't bear to kill her…"

Mandar went to the cooler and pulled out some fresh seasoning; "What will happen when she grows up…"

Liorran sighed; "She might raise her hand against her aunt… if my aunt doesn't have her killed first…"

Mandar stared at Liorran for a few seconds then he asked; "You wouldn't try to rescue her…"

Liorran raised an eyebrow, "It would be a suicide mission and I didn't think about until after, but we faked my death… if I tried to rescue her my aunt would know I was still alive…"

Mandar placed the food on the plates then he set them on the table and he held a chair out for Liorran when she came to the table. "Do you have any other family members …"

She grunted as she placed a spoon full of stew into her mouth; "My uncle the prince and his wife…"

"So set it up and make it look like your uncle did it…"

"My uncle would never raise his hand against his sister… he fears her with a passion…"

Mandar leaned back in his chair, "You Hapans are weird… Mandalorians value family above all…" He was going to say more but the navigation computer chimed. "Looks like we are coming in on Magar…" Mandar and Liorran went to the bridge and strapped in. When they were both secured Mandar pulled back on the levers and returned to normal space.

"Identify yourself..." A man said with a scruffy voice over the com.

"This is Mandar Fett of the clan Fett requesting permission to land…"

There was silence then static as the man's voice came back over the com; "Permission to land on platform K-40…"

Magar was one big rock in space the perfect hiding place for the Mandalorian's weapon cache. The Galatic Republic ignored the planet because many in the galaxy believed the planet was unfit to support life because of it's heavy carbon dioxide astmosphere. The atmosphere was false because the Mandalorians had placed large atmospheric pressure tanks beneath the ground to make it look inhospitable when the Mandalorians returned they switched the tanks over in order clean the atmosphere to make it breathable. The entire surface was bustling with activity as the scattered remnants of the Mandalorian race came to Magar.

Mandar flew his ship towards his clan beacon where his father's personal armaments were stored in an underground bunker beneath a hill. The platform he was instructed to land on was next to the hill on the left. When Liorran and Mandar walked down the ramp they crossed the platform that went into the side of the hill and rode a turbolift five stories down. They exited the turbolift into a large wharehouse like room with four basilisk war-droids and other different Mandalorian weapons and guns. There was also a ship oval shaped with two heavy guns mounted on each side of the hall. It had a flat bottom and two fins sprouting out the back; the ship actually looked like a mask.

"That is a fine ship but where are the ion engines?" Liorran asked.

"Underneath…" Mandar said patting the side.

Liorran followed Mandar to another part of the wharehouse to a small armory in the side of the wall where an elaborate silver and black armor was kept. The armor looked like most Mandalorian armor with the exception of the jet pack with a missile launcher embedded between the tanks. Mandar got undressed in front of Liorran and put the armor on. Then he took a case from the wall and opened it; inside were two custome made blaster pistols. He returned to the small armory and removed a larger case and opened in front of Liorran.

"This is for you… if you want it…"

Liorran gasped because inside was another Mandalorian armor made for a woman it was gold plated and black and like Mandar's it had a special feature; a pair of crush gauntlets. "How do you know it will fit me?" She asked inspecting the armor.

He looked her up and down, "You're the same size as my sister so it should fit…"

"You have a sister?"

"Had a sister… she died at the battle of Malachor Five…"

A pair of foot steps echoed in the wharehouse and they belonged to a Mandalorian wearing red and silver armor. The Mandalorian was not alone he was accompanied by two others whose armor was all red and it was obvious to Liorran that the two Mandalorians were outranked by the first. Mandar and the three men stared at each other from behind their helmets and suddenly they drew their weapons on each other.

"You're a liitle slower than you use to be old man…" Mandar said, his helmet was on the floor.

"I'm still fast enough to beat you… you arrogant little kath hound…" Liorran watched the exchange keeping her hand near her blaster, but Mandar laughed as the man took off his helmet.

They locked arms and hugged each other, "I heard you were dead…" The man said.

Mandar grunted; "Far from it…" He stepped to the side to introduce Liorran, "…And this is my friend Lorra."

"Well how in the world did you sattle a beauty like this…" He said eyeing Liorran up and down; with the armor on she looked like a warrior goddess.

She smiled; "Any woman would be delighted to bed a man like Fett…"

The unnamed man eyed her and then looked at Mandar for a second before returning his attention the woman. "Your Hapan am I correct?"

"Yes I am…"

"Lorra this is Lurn Katz of the clan katz… an old friend and ally of my father's…"

They nodded to each other, "The new Mandalore wants to relive the glory days and go to war against the Republic again…"

Mandar sighed; "I heard about as much…"

"Didn't the Mandalorians help the Republic fight a sith armada at Telos some years ago…" Liorran asked.

"Aye that we did, but those blasted Senators refused our admittance into the Republic… so we decided to teach them a lesson."

Mandar shook his head in disapproval; "Well the Republic has a new Supreme Chancellor… he may be more understanding…"

Lurn clapped Mandar on the shoulder, "I made those same arguments, but Canderous… I mean Mandalore won't listen to reason…"

"Are you going to fight then…" Liorran asked.

"Of course… I may not agree with the Mandalore, but I'm still a Mandalorian and we love a good fight… I'm hoping this one will give his support as well I have been longing to fight beside a Fett for a while now…"

"Sorry my friend, but I have my own plans…"

"Like what?"

Before Mandar could answer another set of foot steps echoed through the wharehouse. These footsteps preceded the new Mandalore who wore a silver armor amd a specially made helmet as was the tradition of all who became Mandalore.

"Mandar Fett… I was hoping to see you…" His voice was muffled under the helmet.

"Oh why is that?" Mandar asked suspiciously.

"The Fett armory is one of the few that houses fully operational basislisk war droids… I'd like to buy them off your hands…"

Mandar looked at the bulky box like war droids and picked up his helmet; "How much are you offering?" He finally asked.

"Two hundred thousand a piece…"

Mandar grunted; "Two fifty…"

"Done…" Mandalore sent a message to one of his men via the com-link display inside his helmet. "The credits will be in your personal account within the next three minutes… Now that we have that business out of the way I'd like to speak with you in private…"

Mandar grunted, "Follow me…" Mandar lead Mandalore to a small corner of the wharehouse where they could talk in private. "What do you want Mandalore…" Mandar didn't hide his contempt for the new Mandalore and the fact that he killed his uncle and technically the title of Mandalore belonged to him because Mandar's father Sirrino Fett had been Mandalore, but Mandalorian tradition demanded the position go to the strongest and most capable.

"Strait to the point aye… fine then I'd like you to be my new War General… How does that sound… War General Mandar Fett…"

"Daunting…" Was Mandar's cold response, "Look I have my own plans and they don't involve trading blaster fire with the Republic… and you would be wise to remember that our people underestimated the Republic before if you do this we will fall and it will be centuries maybe even several millennium before we recover."

"You almost sound like that dragon queen of a Jedi that use to travel with the Exile… only she turned out to be a sith lord… Darth Traya or something… anyway your advice is noted…"  
>Mandar watched as the Canderous Ordo walked away and wondered if he truly wanted him as his war general or was this was a way to keep tabs on him. "He's afraid of you…" Liorran said coming up behind him.<p>

He turned to face her, "and what makes you say that…"

"His body language and the fact I was reading your lips…"

Mandar grunted; "Next time I'll remember that and keep my helmet on…"  
>Mandar and Liorran spent the rest of the day transferring their supplies and equipment to his new ship the moon hunter. When they finished the two of them took a break and ate a meal. They spent the night on board the ship and the next day Liorran flew their old ship and followed Mandar to the planet Taris where he sold the ship for thirteen thousand credits. After the sale they returned to Magar and when they arrived a man was waiting for them.<p>

"Are you Mandar Fett…" The man who asked was heavily armed and he wore a light armor of Echani make. He had a runner's build and a scar crossing his neck as if someone had tried to slash his neck.

Mandar slid his hand down to his blaster, "That depends who is asking…"

"If I told you my name I have to kill you… at any rate you and I have a mutual acquaintance… Arachni… he sent me to hire you for a job…"

"What kind of job?"

"The kind where the target ends up dead…" He handed Mandar a data pad. "The man you are after is on that pad and how to find him… oh and no witnesses make sure everyone and everything is dead…"

Mandar glanced at the data on the pad and raised an eyebrow; then he handed the pad to Liorran, "How much does the job pay?"

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand credits… two hundred thousand now and you get the rest when the job is done…" When Fett agreed he snapped his fingers and four droids came forward and placed two large metal crates in front of Mandar. The crates were four feet in length and two feet tall and two feet wide and filled with credit chips.

"And where do you want to meet so that I can collect the rest of my money…"

"We can meet here…"

"Well I was going to ask you what our next move is, but I guess it is unnecessary…" Mandar grunted, "…Okay then who is Arachni."

"No one you'd care to meet face to face…"

Another hour passed before they were ready to leave and as the ship took off Liorran got on the onboard computer and started typing. When the ship was in hyperspace Mandar went to the main hold and stood behind Liorran. "What are you doing?"

"I was chief assistant to the Supreme Chancellor before he was forced out of office and I had always kept a back door pass code into the supreme chancellor's computer drive and from there I can access any government file from military to intelligence…"

"What are you looking for…"

"This…" Liorran pulled up a file on the man who had hired Mandar to kill a target. The file was on the man named Jax 'Gunner' Heel; assassin, hired gun, mercenary, and bounty hunter; wanted dead or alive by the governments of Corellia, Onderon, Chandrilla, Kashyyyk, Incom corporation, Taris, Telos, Ord Mantell, the Hutts, the Black Heth, Manaan, and Ryloth.

"This guy is wanted by so many people it's a wonder he could move around at all…" Mandar said.

"It gets better… he is known throughout the galaxy as the hunter who hunts bounty hunters… that scar on his neck was put there by the bounty hunter Calo Nord when he tried to take credit for one of Calo's bounties…"

Mandar grunted, "What made you look him up?"

"A feeling in my gut… this guy is also known as the deal breaker… when we finish the contract he might try to kill us…"

"Download everything you can on him… I want to know my enemy before I pump him full of blaster bolts…"

The file Liorran downloaded was massive and she had to put a worm in the net system because someone in the Chancellor's office spotted her accessing the system and was trying to track her.

Victor Balhorn the former Supreme Chancellor of the Republic was a man on the run. Most of the Corellian royal family was either in prison or had been executed Victor was one of four family members in hiding. He was hiding on the research facility in the pola mesa still intent on his plans against the Jedi only now they involved the extermination of the Jedi and Sith. He had used his wealth to fund an experiment that would neutralize the Jedi and their power over the force. In order to bring his plans to fruition Balhorn hired the most brilliant force scientists in the galaxy like the Bith Doctor Weismer Loa, the human scientist Dorian Hase, and a Zabrak scientist named Colbead. They had genetically engineered what they had come to call Ysalamari a lizard like creature with the ability to create a negative bubble that dispels the force in both living and non-living things.

Balhorn entered the main laboratory and stood on the platform overlooking the entire lab. Originally the entire complex had been constructed by the Mandalorians as a weapons depot but it had been decommissioned and over the years the structures on the facility had been used for different purposes.

Balhorn walked down the stares admiring the lizard like creatures as they clung to their respective trees for dear life.

"Your highness…" Hase said greeting Balhorn as he walked across the floor.  
>"Have any of you come close to engineering the abilities of these Ysalamari into human subjects…"<p>

"No sir not as of yet, but I do have some good news… a theory that I came up with… let me show you on the simulator…" Hase took Balhorn to the main computer drive that ran the entire lab. After hitting a sequence of buttons a hologram of what Hase was purposing appeared on the screen. "My idea is to introduce nanonites into a pregnant human female and they surgically alter the DNA of the embryo there by giving a human the ability to push back the force…"

Balhorn brightened up, "Is it possible?"

"Well I have tried it on monkey lizards and I show a sixty percent success rate…"

["And the other forty percent have died or gone mad as the results…"] Weismer yelled walking towards them from the other direction. ["I will never understand the human need for experimentation on their own kind…"]

"Do you have another theory to accomplish my goals…" Balhorn asked.

["Yes researching acient sith technology… the sith were always looking for ways to to kill Jedi… my research has uncovered a sith lord by the name Darth Woar he was apprenticed to Darth Vear… Vear had a gift for bio-engineering and he created some fearsome creatures that make the Jedi shake in their robes…"]

"Yeah, but you have yet to discover Darth Vear's tomb or that of his apprentice…"

["Darth Vear's tomb is on Korriban… his apprentice's tomb is on a planet called Vash… also I am studying acient artifacts that will lead me to the force reaper…"]

"And what pray tell is the force reaper?" Balhorn asked.

["It is a technological marvel… A legendary device that absorbs all force energy in a given area… with a device like that you could kill thousands of sith and Jedi…"]

"And you'd waist all kinds of resources trying to find it…" Hase and Weismer argued back and forth for another six minutes before Balhorn stopped them and decided to peruse both avenues of research to reach his goals.

The star ship moon hunter came out of hyperspace and entered the staionary asteroid field of the pola mesa. To avoid the sensors of the base Mandar flew his ship in and out of the magnectic fields generated by the asteroids and approached the base asteroid from the far side of the rock.

"Alright I'll plant the nerve gas and take out the security bunker… by the time the time I've planted the gas where will you be…"

"I will be at the relay satellite slicing into systems and rerouting the main power to the shield generator… then I slave the moon hunter to take down the external defenses and all the hangars…"

Mandar interrupted her; "The moon's shield array is equal to that of a capital class war ship… take out the hangers first… then what…"

"I activate the shields and turn off the artificial gravity then I join you inside…"

"Meet me here…" Mandar said bringing up a holographic image of the base interior… remember the main lab has its own back up systems so the gas will be filtered we have to go in shooting…"

They kissed and Mandar put on his helmet; then he went to the airlock dressed in a space suit. "Give me an hour to get to the plasma vent… if something goes wrong take the moon hunter and get out of here… I'll catch up to you…"

Mandar left out through the airlock and when it was sealed Liorran began the countdown to when she would make her move. Mandar used his jet pack to move quickly towards his destination. As he traveled his scanners picked up a team of surveyors; so he stopped on a ridge of rock overlooking the area where the surveyors were. It would take too much time to go around so he put together his sniper riffle and aimed at their transport's fuel tank. The explosion killed three of the surveyors and disoriented the rest. As the men tried to collect themselves Mandar shot the remaining five in the head and moved on after scanning the area for any more.

After another two hundred yards Mandar came upon a plasma vent; he waited for the next plasma blast to rush out of the vent then he timed it to the next release which happened five minutes later. Mandar threw a carbonite pellet down the vent and it exploded making it safe for him to jet down the vent shaft. When Mandar exited the vent he found himself in the main generator room.

"Hey…" A man shouted.  
>It was the last word he said because Mandar shot him dead with his blaster; he check his chrono, he had eleven minutes to release the nerve gas into the atmosphere vents. After three minutes he found the vents and threw eight gas pellets down the vents and immediately the gas mixed with the oxygen and it began to spread throughout the facility.<p>

As soon as the gas started to spread the main lab went into lock down and the alarms sounded. "What the hell is that…" Balhorn asked.

"It's the bio-alarm the lab is in lock down…" Hase said. The doors to the lab sealed and air scrubbers activated to protect the experiments.

Meanwhile Liorran had her way to one of the shield arrays and was slicing into the array. When she had access she rerouted all base power to the shields and then she deactivated the artificial gravity. Liorran pulled a remote out of her pack and she summoned the moon hunter and ordered it to fire its missiles at the hangers sealing them off so that no one could escape. The moon hunter fired all it's weapons on a ship trying to leave the asteroid facility. When all the hangers were destroyed Liorran entered the facility and made her way to the redevous where Mandar was waiting for her.  
>"What took you so long…" he asked.<br>"Funny lets go…"  
>They made their way towards the main lab and Mandar planted bombs near the main entrance and took cover. They blew the doors open and they drew their weapons and ran in shooting. Three droids went down along with Doctor Weiser and Hase. Mandar fired a missile from his pack and blew up the upstairs labs where Colbead was working. Five members of Balhorn's royal body guard threw themselves at Mandar and Liorran but they died in a matter of minutes. Balhorn was cowering behind a desk when Mandar flipped it on its side and grabbed him by the color.<p>

"Wait… wait… I'll pay you triple what the sith are paying just spare my life…" Balhorn's words fell on def ears and Mandar shot him at point blank range in the head.

"Hey Fett you better look at this…"  
>Mandar walked up to Liorran who was reading a data pad on the lizard like creatures in the glass case. "What are they…"<p>

"Ysal…Ysa… Ysalamari… they were genetically engineered… the first stage in an attempt to create a bio-weapon against the Jedi and Sith… these little critters have the ability to push back the force and create a negative zone where the force doesn't exist…"

"Interesting…" Mandar was about to shoot the creatures, but Liorran stopped him, "What the hell are you doing?"

"You can't just kill them they are living things… even if they are just a science experiment…"

Mandar sighed; "Alright then what do you suggest…"  
>Liorran and Mandar loaded the creatures onto the moon hunter and they made the jump to an out of the way planet called Myrkk which at present was uninhabited. They droped the creatures off on the planet then they contacted Jax 'Gunner' Heel about the rest of their payment.<br>Heel was waiting on Nar Shadda for their arrival in a private hangar where Heel was waiting by himself. When Mandar and Liorran walked down the ramp several thugs jumped out from behind crates and racks and began shooting at them. When they believed Mandar and Liorran were dead Heel walked up to the bodies and kicked them; when he did they flickered and the bodies dissolved and resolved into two droids. The droids exploded killing and wounding several of Heel's men and that is when Liorran and Mandar jumped out of a secret compartment on the side of the ship and started shooting. A man who hadn't been caught in the blast tried to sneak up behind Liorran and kill her with a vibro-sword, but she caught the blade wearing her crush-gauntles and broke the sword then punched the man in the chest killing him.

"Man I love these things…"  
>Mandar looked at her and blasted two more thugs and it was over; he walked up to Heel's broken bleeding body and stood over him; surprisingly Heel was still alive.<p>

"I need proof that I killed your sorry ass so that I can collect all the bounties out there…" He took a hologram picture of Heel and before he could respond Mandar shot him in the head.

"That was fun… now what…" Liorran asked.

"Now we collect all those bounties…" He responded.  
>They traveled for the next few weeks collecting bounties on Heel who was now dead and then they returned to Magar where Mandar went into privacy making his own plans without Liorran. Mandar spent so much time alone that she began to think Mandar was getting tired of her.<p>

"Listen up… you Mandalorian laser jocky…" Liorran said bursting into his private chambers aboard the moon hunter. "I am a Hapan of the house of Sorac… niece to the Hapan queen mother and I don't need a man to verify me…"  
>Mandar smiled to the point of laughing; "You are beautiful when you're angry… I haven't been ignoring you… I was saving this as a surprise… here look…"<br>Liorran eyed him angrily then she looked at the hologram which was a layout of the Hapan royal palace. "How did you get this?" She asked in shock.  
>"By paying a lot of credits out… Czerka Corporation has a subsidiary that exports for the Hapans… I was planning on rescuing your sister from the palace…"<br>Liorran looked over the plans and smacked her teeth; "Well I apologize for my actions and well I appreciate it… we will never get away with this…"  
>Mandar raised an eyebrow, "I have spent a lot of time with Sith Lords and I have learned a lot… you are right about your uncle… so I am creating an underground organization… a man faction on the Hapan worlds that want equal treatment for men… they kidnap the princess and hold her for ransom…"<br>Liorran sat in his lap; "I like it…"

"I hoped you would and I'd like you to think about this…" Mandar gave her a ring, "…You don't have to answer now think it over."

"I have thought it over… the answer is yes…" They got married immediately the next day via a Mandalorian clan lord.

Two more weeks passed before Mandar was ready to implement his plan; they entered the Hapan system via the trade ships that were allowed into the system. When the ship Mandar and Liorran were working on posed as crewmen landed they snuck away from the dock in disguise; Liorran played a rich Hapan noble woman while Mandar played her servant. The first part of their plan involved putting the faction together at least that was Mandar's part. Liorran's part was contacting her old friend and ally; the Countess of Fyrnvall who was distantly related to the Hapan Queen Mother. She had an estate on the eastern side of the continent away from the royal palace.

["And who may I say is calling?"] The droid valet asked.

"Tell the Countess the Baroness Li of Otman is here…" The droid looked at her probably searching its memory banks for any person that fit that name but it found none. The droid didn't pursue the matter because it figured that maybe Li was a lesser noble. Actually Li of Otman was a warrior name Tiphera gave her when they played royal court as children. Tiphera and Liorran had been childhood friends and even served together in the royal guard, but Tiphera's parents died in a hunting accident and she had to leave the royal guard and take her place as the Countess of Fyrnvall.  
>When Tiphera entered the foyer she gasped like a fish out of water; "Li…" She said looking through all the makeup; "Get over here…" They embrassed each other and Tiphera lead her to safe room where all the family jewels were kept. "These walls still have ears… but we may talk freely in here…"<p>

"It is good to see you again…"

"I should kick your ass… I thought you were dead…"

"As if you could handle me…"

They laughed, but then Tiphera got serious again. "What are you doing here… if the queen finds out that you are still alive she might just send the entire Hapan fleet after you…"

"I need your help my friend… I'm going to bust my sister out of the tower…"

"Are you insane…" She yelled not caring because the walls were sound proof, "…You will never get away with it and besides give me one reason I should uproot my life just to help you."

"Well if the queen died in the cross fire you could become the new queen mother…"

Tiphera sighed and sat down on a couch, "As much as I'd like to become Queen Mother… I value your hide and friendship over a crown…"

"Then let my uncle's wife be queen mother…"

"That hunched back Rancor… no way… The consortium will be members of the Republic within a month if she rules… and why don't you become Queen Mother?"

Liorran dropped to the floor and sat crossed leg, "Well for one I am enjoying my freedom… the life of a noble bores me and the only reason I want to kill that witch is because I failed at my chance the last time…" Liorran looked at Tiphera with a sad face; "So will you help me?"  
>She grunted; "You know I hate it when you make that face… Of course I will help… but first…" Tiphera stood up and grabbed her hand exposing the wedding band; "…What is the meaning of this?"<p>

"What do you think it means I'm married…"

"Isn't this Mandalorian…"

"Yes…" When Liorran said yes Tiphera punched her on the arm; "Don't start something you can't finish…" They laughed.

"So where is this Mandalorian Stud who thinks he is good enough for the Baroness of Otman…"

"He is here on the planet…" Tiphera's mouth dropped; "…Actually it was his idea."

Tiphera shook her head; "You sure know how to step in the deepest part of the mud and muck your foot up… Anyway come with me… I better get you a room… and you better be able to kill her this time because if you fail she will be gunning after me next and I don't want to go hopping around the galaxy…"  
>Liorran smiled; "Hey don't knock it until you try it…"<p>

Despite the beauty and splendor of the Hapan home world Mandar Fett was getting very agitated by the Hapan custom of men as second class citizens second to the women who ran every aspect of the society from the military to government. The only thing that kept one from being stepped on by the females in the society is if you were born into nobility because a young nobleman could often have his pick of any lovely he wanted. The richer you were the more freedom, choices, and power you had. If Mandar's plan was to work he had to play the lowly man although that didn't stop many Hapan women from asking after his hand.  
>He spent his time in the cantinas where the patrons were predominantly men looking for that spark he could turn into an inferno. He walked into the Moon lakes cantina and was ignored by the patrons and to his surprise the bar was owned by a man. 'What can I get you?" The bartender asked.<p>

"An icy lake… hard… and chill the glass…" Mandar waited searching the room for the bit of conversation he had been looking for and found it. He downed his drink in one gulp and made his way across the room where a tall bulky man was speaking.

"I for one will not put up with this tradition any longer… I am a man and I will not be looked down upon by these women any longer…"

"You talk a big talk… so where is your spine…" Mandar asked.  
>Everyone looked at him then the man standing on the chair; "Where is yours…"<br>Mandar grunted, "Words are meaningless… we need to organize… create our own political party and let the Queen Mother know that we won't tolerate it any more… Our voices must be heard…"  
>Mandar stirred up the men and in the next few hours Mandar had a sizable following. Over the next few days marches were staged; politicians were bribed and the consortium of free men was born.<p>

The Royal Hapan Palace:

"How many have joined this party…" The Queen Mother asked; she met with her advisors and councelors privately in the thrown room. She was a woman of commanding presence and high charisma. Searla was her name and she had long brown hair and a face that was almost feline. Her eyes were crowned by two arching eyebrows and a tattoo on the right side of her face.  
>"Over five thousand… Your majesty…" The head of the royal guard replied.<br>"I need an exact number…"  
>"I'll have it by the end of the day your majesty…"<br>"If I may be so bold your highness… this new movement is no threat to you or your thrown…" The woman who said this was her prime minister.  
>"Perhaps the Prime Minister is unaware of the arrests my guards have had to make in the past two weeks arrests of high ranking officials and so on…" Gana said who was leader of the royal guard.<p>

"I have no choice but to declare martial law… Gana find the leaders behind this uprising… find them and bring them to justice…" Searla stormed out with her handmaidens following her.

Martial law had been declared throughout the consortium and several dozen arrests had been made, but the true leaders of the consortium of free men remained hidden. Mandar's plans were in motion and the time to rescue Liorran's sister had come.

"Even if your plan worked you still have the royal guard to deal with…" Tiphera said.

"I'm not worried about the royal guard… I'm more worried about getting off the planet after we've gotten Chiella out of the tower…" Mandar replied.

Liorran tapped his jet pack; "You could always fly her out…"

"What about you? I hate the idea of you going after the queen…"

"I'll be fine…" Liorran said.

They made their final preparations and then Mandar left to go and meet with the leading members of the consortium of free men. They had planned to protest during a ball the queen mother was hosting in the palace and it was during the ball that Liorran and Mandar would make their move.

Thousands of men gathered in front of the palace and began chanting and marching and when they were well under way Mandar snuck away from the group and into the sewers beneath the palace.

Inside the ballroom cream of Hapan society was winning, dining, and dancing the night away. Both Tiphera and Liorran were there; Liorran trying her best to avoid the queen. She checked her chrono and saw that it was time. She had planted a bomb at the servants entrance and with three twists on her chrono she activated the bomb and had thirty minutes to reach the west wing of the palace.

"I'm sorry my lady but this area is closed off…" The guard said to Liorran.

She responded by stunning the guard with a shock stick she had hidden under her shawl. The other guard tried to sound the alarm but Liorran kicked her in the head knocking her out. When Liorran got to the stairs Mandar was waiting for her.

"What took you so long?"  
>She never got to answer because the bombs went off and that is when the chaos broke out. They broke out into a run and made their way to the west tower where Liorran's sister was being held. "Go my sister is up there…" Liorran yeld.<p>

"Where are you going?"

"To take care of some unfinished business…" Before Mandar could stop her Liorran was already heading through a secret passage.  
>Outside at the main gate the protestors were running for their lives as the royal guard used deadly force on them; a few men fought back but eventually they were overwhelmed.<p>

Gana led the royal guard and the Queen Mother Searla through a secret passage way to a bunker inside the palace. "Don't worry your majesty those insurgents won't make it into the palace…"

"What about my niece… is she secure?"

"We are working on it…" As they walked down the passage way a guard approached from the opposite direction. "Report…" Gana yelled walking up to the guard who stabbed her in the gut with a vibro-sword.

The remaining twelve guards were slow to react as Liorran used Gana's body as a human shield and shot down the guards one by one. When they were all dead Searla tried to protect herself but Liorran disarmed her and threw her to the ground. Searla watched as the helmet was removed to reveal the assassin; she gasped.

"You are supposed to be dead…"

"No you are…" Liorran replied stabbing her in the chest. She withdrew the blade and slashed her throat and Searla died.

Mandar made it to the tower and blasted the door open. Liorran's sister was a girl of fourteen years old and resembled Liorran a lot especially in the face. "I'm not here to harm you… your sister and I are friends… she sent me to rescue you…"

"You lie… my sister is dead…"

Mandar removed an amulet from his belt and handed it to her and she gasped; "You gave that to your sister when she became a member of the royal guard…"

"How are we going to escape the royal guard is on the way…"

Mandar walked pass her to the window; "We are going to fly out…"

Gazell let out a scream of excitement as they rocketed across the sky; Mandar looked down and saw Liorran running through the courtyard for her life as a group of royal guards chased her shooting. He dived towards her and fired a missile at the guards killing most of them; then he released a line and pulled back up into the air when she had the line. He flew towards the mountains and landed on a cliff where Tiphora was waiting for them.

"Good you made it…" She said when they landed.

Gazell ran to Liorran and gave her a big hug, "I've missed you…"

"And I you… my little rancor…" She replied stroking her hair.

Gazell looked into her sisters eyes; "Did you…"

"Yes she is dead…" Liorran said knowing what she meant.

The expression of disapproval on her sister's face hurt, but Liorran couldn't dwell on it and her thoughts were interrupted by Tiphora who said; "The two of you can talk later… right now you need to get to the dock before you are discovered…"

The transport Tiphora gave them took the three of them to her private wharehouse where they were disguised as off worlders. Mandar got the disguise of a Twi'lek; Liorran was disguised as a female devarian and her sister was made to look like a female Zabrak. They were able to get through inspection without incident and off they took.  
>When they were safely in hyperspace Liorran and her sister Gazell removed their makeup and costumes and then they greeted each other properly. "I thought you were dead…" Gazell said teary eyed.<br>"And I thought I'd never see you again…" Mandar entered the cargo hold; "Gazell this is my husband Mandar Fett…"  
>Gazell looked him up and down then she turned to Liorran and said; "You would go off and marry the first Mandalorian you set eyes on… if mom were still alive…" She didn't finish the sentence. As they traveled through hyperspace Mandar and Gazell got to know each other and they became good friends. The cargo ship they traveled on came out of hyperspace in the corporate sector and from there they took Mandar's ship the moon hunter to Magar.<p>

"I want to see the galaxy…" Gazell said four days later. "This is the first time I have been outside the consortium… I want to travel the great hyperspace lains… I want to see the glistening towers of Coruscant… the oceans of Mannaan…"

"No and no… if certain people knew who you were… I don't want to lose you again…"

Gazell stormed away; "Let her go…" Mandar said.

"She's my sister…"

"And you need to let her grow up… if we give her enough credits… and someone accompanies her…"

"Like who…"

"Jor Katz…"  
>Jor was Lorn Katz's son; "That moon struck ninny…"<p>

Mandar laughed, "He may be a moon struck ninny, but he is good with a blaster and a man you would want in your corner in a tight spot…" It took some convincing but Mandar was able to get her to agree; they both talked with Lurn and Jor was more than happy to go.  
>Gazell was on board the moon hunter in the spare cabin sulking when the door opened and Liorran came in. "Alright you can go…" She cracked a smile; "Someone is going with you and I want to hear from you at least once a week…"<p>

She jumped out of the bed and hugged her; "Okay I promise…"

It took two days to get ready and when they were Jor was waiting at the bottom of an Enchani delta class star ship. The ship was named the dragon's tooth and it was fully stocked and also had a Mandalorian z-class war droid to accompany them; it was programmed to protect Gazell. As Mandar hugged Gazell goodby Liorran whispered into Jor's ear; "My sister had better come back a virgin or I will remove your reason for being a man…" He swallowed hard and followed Gazell up the ramp and a few seconds later the ship took off.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Kreia

The war was still raging in the unknown regions and the Arquillians were winning that war. Over twenty-three percent of the region was under the control of the growing Arquillian empire. The war had been going on now for the past nine years, mainly because Traya was manipulating the outcome of certain battles; so despite all their success the Arquillians weren't making the progress they liked.  
>As for the order of Darth Traya the academy had increased by two hundred students. Most of the original fifty were now teacher students and the original teacher students were about to be made sith knights. Among the students who were about to become knights were Cornad, Illisa, Helceck, Drall, Janeo, Harr, a Barabel named Puvax, and a Ikochi named Shar to name a few. The entire academy was in the thrown room and the students stood at attention while the aforementioned sith were on one knee; Traya was on her thrown with Kreia standing at her side.<p>

Traya stood up and walked down the steps; "All of you have past your initial training… no more will you be teacher students… from now on you will be Sith Knights…"  
>Kreia stood next to the thrown not caring for what was happening to the students; her mind was on other things. She was now nine years old and there were questions she needed answers to and she decided to ask them after the ceremony. She grunted and thought to herself, ("Ha sith indeed…") Kreia was thinking about the ultimate knowledge Traya was teaching her; the force without the boundaries of the sith or Jedi. She wondered how the war between the Jedi and Sith would go if that knowledge was known to both sides.<p>

The ceremony ended and Traya returned to her thrown as the students left the thrown room. The newly knighted sith stood at attention as Traya ordered Thanus to report on the war. "The war goes in favor of the Arquillians… they are planning to invade Zhin system… if they take the system it will be a strategic staging point against the alliance…"

"We are going to have to make sure they don't take it now don't we… anything else…"

"Our spies also report that the alliance is creating bio-weapons to use against the Arquillians…"

Traya was scratching Gor's head; "Illisa…" She said into the com device installed into her thrown. A few minutes later Ilissa entered the thrown room sneaking a peek at Thanus before taking a knee and bowing to Darth Traya.

"You summoned me my lady?"

"Yes… the alliance is creating bio-weapons… I want you to put together a small group… find the lab and destroy every trace… of this chemical weapon along with the scientists who made it…"

"It shall be done as you command master…"

When Traya dismissed Thanus and Ilissa Kreia walked around the thrown and stood in front of Traya. She stared at the girl and smiled within herself; ("So the time has come…")

"I have questions that I need the answers too…"

"You know you can ask me anything my little Kreia…"

She snarled, "You know I hate that name… don't call me that… I'm not that little anymore…"

Traya sighed she had always treated Kreia like the daughter she was to her, but she had never revealed to her that she Darth Traya was her mother. "Ask your questions…"

"Who are my parents… you never mention them… are they dead… and if so who killed them…"

Traya stood up, "Walk with me…" Instead of leaving the thrown room through the main doors they exited it via secret passageway that was only accessable by Traya and Kreia. Gar was trailing behind them "Your mother was a beautiful core worlder… and the force was strong with her… your father was an Arquillian… a strong charismatic man… they were my first students… unfortunately they fell in love… and as most sith romances go… it ended tragically…" the passage ended and the wall opened to their private study where Traya kept the ultimate knowledge hidden from the rest of the sith.

"Your father was an ambitious man… he believed his destiny was to rule the unknown regions through the Arquillians… he shared these dreams with your mother, but she supported my goals and vision for the unknown regions… eventually your mother became pregnant with you and she tried to hide the pregnancy from your father…"

Kreia gasped, "What did he do…"

"When he found out… he was angry of course… and that is when he plotted to try and use you as leverage against your mother and force her to help him over throw me, but your mother loved me more than she loved your father… two months after you were born he kidnapped you and left Sithari… Despite my objections your mother went after your father and I followed, but I arrived to late… your mother lay dead at his feet…" Traya gently placed her hands on Kreia's shoulders. "…I loved your mother like a sister and when I saw her dead body I grew angry and I struck your father down… I took you and returned to Sithari… I saw the great power that resides within you and I decided that you should become the next Darth Traya after me…"

Kreia pushed her hands away; "What did my mother look like…"  
>Traya's heart was heavy, but she ignored it and continued on; "She was beautiful… she had hair like yours, but you have your father's eyes… and the only thing she cared about was you… which even surpassed her devotion to me…"<p>

Kreia was quiet for so long Traya wondered if the girl would ever respond in the way she would hope. She did, "I hate you…" She said in a cold venomous voice.

Traya smiled, "As you should… but don't let that hatred rule you… harness and use it… then one day you have weild a power equal if not greater than mine…"

"And when I do I will destroy you… and then I shall be Darth Traya…"

Traya watched with a heavy heart as Kreia left their private study. She had accomplished what needed to be done; the girl now had a passion that would fuel her power. She now had ambition; an ambition that would take her on the next stage of her journey even if that meant her demise.

"Ah well… what shall be shall be…" When they fought Kreia would hold nothing back and neither would she. Her daughter had to prove she was worthy of becoming Darth Traya and all that went along with that title. Nothing would be served by telling Kreia that she was her daughter, she had to choose her own path and decide the fate of the Trayus academy.

For the next two days Kreia ignored her Master Darth Traya preferring to study in private. After all she had unlimited access to the archives and she could study any subject she wished although to properly execute a force technique especially a sith technique she needed Traya's guidance. She had tried the Force teleport on her own and she almost died because she couldn't judge the distance and she materialized over two hundred parsecs away. Fortunately Traya had sensed the danger and brought her back to the academy; Kreia remembered how Traya had never left her side and she personally nursed her back to health.  
>("Why did you have to be the fool…") Kreia thought to herself. She was studying the force crush technique not really paying attention to what the gate keeper was saying; so she shut it off. Her mind had been on what Traya had said and something just didn't add up, because of her close connection she always felt to Darth Traya. Despite her teachings and philosophy on the force Darth Traya was a sith an extrodinary one too, but she had always treated Kreia like a daughter and spoiled her and gave her any and everything she ever wanted. She certainly gave Kreia more liberties than any other student at the academy and that was what she was struggling with. One day she would reach her full potential in the force and then challenge her master for the title of Darth Traya. The only sith title that would be passed down from master to apprentice; ("What am I missing…") Exasperated she decided to drop the subject, because she had not gained enough wisdom in the force to unravel it and as Traya taught her she there are some things in the force that revealed themselves; so she decided to wait.<br>("Father… Mother…") She thought to herself; ("If I'm going to have any real answers then there is only one place I am going to get them…") Gor's whimpering interrupted her train of thought. She looked down at the Ta'Kata dog and sensed that it was hungry. "Fine I will feed you… you mongrel…" She rubbed her stomach and realized she was hungry as well; "Come let's go get something to eat…"  
>Kreia had her own private dinning room and servants that waited on her hand and foot. Twenty-five of them were flesh and blood; twelve humans and the rest aliens and then she had twenty-five server droids not counting her body guards, not that she needed them.<p>

"You summoned me mistress?" T-Seven said walking up to her.

"Yes I would like to go to the Arquillian home world… arrange it…"  
>T-Seven bowed, "As you command mistress…"<p>

An hour later her private ship was ready for take off and her ship was the Atris which Traya had given to her. Kreia took Gar with her and the ship took off; as it did Darth Traya came to the hanger landing platform as the ship took off.

A week later the Atris was landing in a hanger on the Arquillian home world; the city of Kom was beautiful and this was Kreia's third visit to the city and first visit on her own. The Jothan clone was there ready to great her when she walked down the ramp.

"My lady… welcome back…"

"I will speak with you in private…" Kreia arrogantly said. They sat together in a private room with a view of the city. "I know you are a clone of my father… I want you to tell me what he was like…"

The Jothan clone sighed; "Your father was very charismatic… an ambitious man… his first wife died giving birth to their son and the boy died as well… when that happened he started down his path to learn the ways of the force…"

Kreia stood up and went to the balcony, "What were his interests…" She asked with her back still to him.

"He had many… he had a passion for science… and he loved the Archillian people… he also loved the water… diving was a passion of his…"

Kreia smiled because she loved to swim and dive as well so much so that Traya had a private pool installed in the temple and she was the only one who could access it. The pool was also equipped with a holographic system so that she could be anywhere she wanted when she swam. "What about my mother…"

He sighed; "I never actually met your mother, but since I share your fathers thoughts and memories… he loved her and had seen a vision of her many times in the force… it was through lady Traya that they met… that is all I know…"

She turned to face him; "You have been very helpful…"

Kreia left the planet and returned to Sithari; when she did Kreia found her Master Darth Traya in their private study. "I want to learn force phasing…" She said.

Traya was adding information to her super holocron; "So you are speaking to me again… where have you been…"

Kreia grunted; "You know where I have been…"

Traya stopped what she doing and looked at her, "Yes I know… I only wonder what did you gain from your talk with the clone?"

"I gained a better understanding of who I am and where I came from…"

"You came from love…"

"And how does love benefit a sith lord…" Kreia asked.

"Well for one your students are less likely to turn on you…" Traya stood up after shutting down her holocron; "Which reminds me… there is something I need to show you…" Traya took Kreia to the lowest level of the academy and underneath the tiles were bombs.

"Why…" Kreia asked looking at her.

"Well as you say the sith are ambitious and if the denizens of the academy ever turned against us I would level the place and kill everyone…"

"What about the ultimate knowledge?"

"The holocron is sitting on a trap door that leads to an escape pod that will blast off before the place was destroyed…"

Traya closed the tile and they started walking through the academy until they were outside in the garden. "That is a bit extreme isn't it…" Kreia asked.

"Yes it is… but effective… you forget but the sith are always fighting amonst themselves… it is why I built the arena so the students could settle their problems through combat… and so that they could develop their own social hiarchy…"

Traya taught Kreia how to force phase and as always she picked it up quickly; then Traya taught Kreia the force cut technique and other sith and Jedi philosophies. At the age of nine Kreia had force agility, speed, strength, foresight, telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, lightening, choke, crush, cut, phase, and she could use Force teleport. She was a master of lightsaber forms I – V and she knew how to fight with double, single, dual, and whip weapons. She had already built a lightsaber with a curved handle and she was privately working on her own holocron.

Qwan Hystar was among the new recruits at the Trayus academy; he was an outcast among all the students of the academy and his teachers payed little if any attention to him. A human he was bossed and bullied by the grunts; the black stars; and the Alien core. He sat alone in a corner picking at his food when all conversation in the cafeteria stopped. He looked up and standing in the doorway was none other than Kreia who never came to the cafeteria or interacted with the students. He was about to put his head down when she started walking across the room with Gar at her side. She walked right up to Qwan; he was about to stand and give her the proper respect she was due, but she stopped him with a raise of her hand.

"My lady… may I get you something…"

"Be still…" She looked at him then sat down; he remained quiet as Kreia inspected him, but for what he knew not. He snuck a glance around the room at the envious glances of the other students; "So my youg sith… what seems to be the problem with your training…"

She said drawing his attention from the looks of the other students; "How do you mean my lady…"

Kreia narrowed her eyes a little annoyed, because she felt he knew what she meant; "Of all the sith here you seem to be slower than everyone else…"

Qwan sighed; "My lady I have tried… but all I seem capable of doing is failing…"

Kreia took a fried tubor stick from his plate; "Perhaps I can remedy that…" His mouth dropped. "How would you like to become my apprentice…"

Qwan was twelve years old and he had just been offered to be trained by Darth Traya's star pupil. "I would be honored my lady…" He said as he was finally able to find his voice.

"Good… after morning meals I want you to meet me in the stellar map room…" Kreia got up without waiting for a response nor did she say anything else; she got up and left the room with all eyes on her and when she left the room all eyes turned to him.

Within a matter of moments Qwan went from being lower than low to the most popular student in the academy. As he sat there trying to eat he was approached by the leaders of both the black stars and the alien core and even the leader of the grunts approached him. When it was time for training Cornad himself who was now a sith knight took him aside from the other students and gave him private lessons, but it was just a ploy to pick his brain.

The next day after eating Qwan made his way to the stellar map room a place only those above the rank teacher student were allowed. When he got there Kreia was looking at the entire galaxy from the core to the outerim and the unknown regions. Some sections of the galaxy had yet to be mapped but as Qwan looked at the screen every now and then an unmapped portion of the galaxy would be filled by a new system update; as if the computer was receiving star map information from somewhere in the galaxy.

Kreia turned looked at him and then she returned her attention to the star map. "Tell me apprentice… why do you think I chose you to be my apprentice… you are lower than a grunt and yet I chose you… what do you think are my reasons…"

He sighed; "I have been thinking on the subject since yesterday master… I don't know… maybe you intend to sacrifice me in a duel with your master to over throw her…"

Kreia laughed, "When I face Darth Traya it will be alone… no one here will be able to help me with that…"

This time Qwan put a little more thought into his response; "Well… perhaps you want an ally to help you bring order to the academy when you do take it over…"

Kreia zoomed in on a system called Kamino. "That is one of my reasons…" She turned to face him; "And why do you struggle with the dark side…" Kreia had to be careful what she taught Qwan because the ultimate knowledge was for her and Traya alone.

"Perhaps it has something to do with my medi-chloriant count master…"

Kreia smiled, "Does the force have to be channeled through your body only?"

"Well… I…"

Kreia stood up, "The sith don't share knowledge… in our long bloody history the great sith lords of the past would take that knowledge to the graves with them… and someone truly powerful and skilled would have to pry that knowledge from their dead cold hands at great risk to their lives… I am sharing my knowledge with you so that you can be of use to me… The force touches all things and connects them… a few lesser sith would draw on the force in nature and not from themselves they would harness this power in persuit of greater power… and sometimes in rare cases this person or even persons become as powerful as someone with a higher medi-chloriant count…" Kreia switched off the monitor and headed for the exit. Qwan followed; "I am going to teach you to tap into the force flowing through the environement around you…"

Kreia's lessons lasted until sunset; she focused mainly on teaching Qwan to access the force around him and use it for his benefit. Through this technique Qwan's force abilities sky rocketed; "This is amazing…"

"Yes it is… you can also manipulate any force energy directed at you as well… when I came and sat down with you at dinner didn't you feel the envy of the others… their jealousy…"

"Yes I did…" He replied nodding.

"It was those emotions you could have drawn on as well…" Kreia reached into her robe and gave Qwan a data card. "…Here you can access any level of information in the archives with this."

Overwhelmed all he could say was; "Thank you master…"

Kreia left Qwan for her lessons with Darth Traya; they worked with the combat simulator pitting their hologram fleets against one another. The purpose of the exercise was to teach Kreia battle strategy and the proper use of battle meditation. When they were done Kreia practiced deflecting blaster bolts with her lightsaber and hands. When she was done Kreia began building a new lightsaber for Qwan. The next morning Qwan met her in the archives and they practiced agility and hand to hand combat.

"Here…" She gave him the lightsaber that she had been working on all night.

"Thank you master…"

They practiced lightsaber techniques to which he exelled at greatly. "When I am not teaching you go to the group sessions and study with them…"

As he bowed to her the door to the garden opened and Darth Traya entered the garden. She walked right up to Kreia ignoring Qwan, "I will speak with you in private…" Qwan was ignored as he bowed to the both of them and left the garden. "I am leaving the academy…"

"Why…"

"There is something I must personally attend to… You are remaining here… and I am leaving you in charge of the academy…"

Kreia smiled, she had been trained for this and it wasn't overwhelming; it was a chance to prove her steel. "But why the secret you have never withheld information from me…"

Traya sighed; "No, but you have been distracted lately and the other reason is that leaving you in charge is another step in your training… if someone gets out of line the assassins have your back…"

"You still haven't told me why you are leaving…"

"Consider it a master's privilege…" Before Kreia could ask another question Traya turned and left the garden.

Kreia became so angry that she didn't even go to the hanger and see her off. Over the next two days Kreia did nothing but swim, lay around and be waited on, and watched the holo-news being transmitted to the academy from the core; she was still angry that Traya had left her behind.

A fight broke out among the black stars a fight between the most powerful students one was the leader of the black stars and the other was an upstart trying to take his place. Dunaw was the leader and his challenger was Paris; Paris had taken over thirty percent of the black stars while the rest followed Dunaw. The rivalry came to its climax when Paris tried to lure Dunaw into a trap; both sides were squaring off taunting each other in the garden when a bright red light engulfed both groups accompanied by a force wave that threw both sides to the ground. When the light faded Kreia stood in between both groups with Gar and two assassins.

"Enough!" She screamed; at her appearance the students dropped to one knee and bowed. "The master has been gone only three days and you start a fight… not on my watch… this will be settled in the arena…" Both Dunaw and Paris raised their heads and stared at each other.

The duel was set for the next day; everyone was in attendance and Kreia sat on Traya's thrown as if she already ruled the academy with Gar lying at her feet and two assassins standing at either side of her. She looked out over the crowd of gathered students and spotted her apprentice; she waved him over.

"Yes master…"

"I want you to get involved… humiliate them both…"

"What if they gang up on me?"

"Their pride won't let them, but if they do… I will help you…"

As Paris and Dunaw entered the ring bets were made, but then Qwan entered the ring and the betting really got serious.

"What do you think you are doing…" Paris asked.

"I am doing the bidding of my master…" When Qwan said this both Dunaw and Paris looked at Kreia; she returned their stares as if to dare them to object to her decision. Paris surprised everyone by drawing a lightsaber; Dunaw only grunted as he shocked everyone by producing a lightsaber as well. The crowds began chanting their names; the names of Dunaw and Paris; as Qwan ignited his lightsaber he was ignored when Paris and Dunaw attacked each other.

Their lightsabers slammed into each other as Qwan ran towards them and kicked both of them with his feet when they hit the ground Qwan surprised the crowd with a lightening that was fueled off the rage of both Paris and Dunaw. Paris caught the attack with his lightsaber while Dunaw was hit in the chest from the blast. He cried out as the electrical current flowed over his body. Paris jumped into the air and landed next to Qwan who ended his lightening attack to duel Paris. They both used the Shii-Cho on each other battling back and forth as they tried to break through each others fighting styles, but Qwan switched to the Ataru form and mixed a few kicks and leaps into his fighting style. He managed to slash Paris on the shoulder and kick him in the face.

Dunaw was finally able to get up and he surprised the crowd with his own lightening attack, but Qwan stuck out his hand and caught the lightening allowing it to pass through him like a lightening rod and exited through his lightsaber. He directed the lightening at Paris who had jumped twenty-one feet into the air and flipped; as he was in his flip the blast caught him and he fell to the arena floor with a thud. The blast had disrupted his force barrier; he shocked Paris for the next three minutes using Dunaw's own energy because he thought he could make Qwan lose control. Qwan pointed his lightsaber at Dunaw and hit him with his own lightening.

Qwan waited as both teenagers regained their strength to fight; "We… are… going to have to join forces to beat him…" Dunaw said.

Paris grunted; "On this and this only… when he is lying unconscicous on the floor it is back to business between us…"

"Wouldn't have it any other way…"

The three combatants faced off only this time Paris and Dunaw had joined forces to work together in order to defeat Qwan. They attacked him at the same time, but Qwan held his own and in the course of six minutes he severed Dunaw's arm and Paris' left leg. When the duel was over Kreia stood up and walked to the arena.

"Here me… my apprentice has beaten these two… he is now the leader of the black stars… to defy him is to defy me and defying me is to defy the Mistress Darth Traya…" With Kreia's announcement the crowd dispersed while Dunaw and Paris were taken to the infirmary.

While Traya was gone Kreia enjoyed her new found authority over the academy and made a lot of decisions including a few that affected the war. She even ordered the Arachnoids to attack a Synotar weapons depot and annex the Arquillian world of Xerna.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20. The Corruption of Master Pathos

Uri Pathos was once the apprentice of Jedi Master Vandar; he rose so quickly to knighthood many feared he was another Revan or Exar Kune. Before Vandar went on his journey he personally bestowed the rank of Master on Pathos. Pathos had a runner's build and the physic to match; his face was oblong and he had a shoulder length ponytail. It was because of his strength in the force and his character that the council decided to allow him to lead the expedition into the unknown regions.

Supreme Chancellor Julion Van Mont gave him and his crew a send off with all the fanfare and prestige. His apprentice Ronan Cree had been given the rank of Jedi Knight and wanted to accompany his former master, but Pathos wouldn't allow it. Two high ranking veteran Jedi accompanied him into the unknown regions, but like all past expeditions into the unknown regions it was an utter failure.

The sith was behind every failed attempt to explore the unknown regions mainly because they ruled the unknown regions from the shadows. Pathos and his expedition team had encountered the Killiks, the Gunjaghi, and the Fyreen before their ship was attacked and destroyed by Arachnoids. The only survivor was Uri Pathos and that was because Darth Traya had pulled him from the ship via force teleport before it exploded.

Pathos was unconscious and many visions came to his mind; he had one of Coruscant on fire and then hundreds of thousands of sith ruling the galaxy and led by Darth Arachni. ("Darth Arachni must be stopped…") he heard a voice say in his mind. He then saw the deaths of every senator at the hands of a sith lord named Darth Caos. He also Deila Shyren ascend to become a Sith Lord named Darth Shenron. Pathos' vision came in different order and sometimes he saw Darth Arachni and Darth Shenron ruling the galaxy or Caos and Shenron.

Uri Pathos' eyes flickered then he opened them and found himself staring at the ceiling of a cave. His head and chest were bandaged and his body was covered with a blanket. The next thing he noticed was the smell of something being cooked by an open fire. He looked over and gasped because sitting on the opposite side of the cave was Atris, but her hair was black with the exception of a white streak. She sat crossed leg with his lightsaber at her side.

"Good morning…"

At the sound of her voice he jumped up summoning his lightsaber; the weapon flew across the cave and into his hand, but Atris remained calm and seated. "Atris…" He got to his feet lightsaber pointed directly at her; he walked towards her and held the blade one foot from her neck. "Where are we… how did I get here?"

"Well…" she replied non-shalantly; "Your ship crash landed on this planet… you were the only survivor… I pulled you from the wreckage before it exploded… I brought you to my cave and treated your wounds…" Something about Atris' statement didn't make sense, but he couldn't figure it out. "How do I know you didn't kill the other survivors?"

"Use your feelings you are a Jedi Master… Do you sense any deception…"

To Pathos' utter surprise Atris was telling the truth and neither did he feel the dark side in her all he felt was the force. "What trickery is this… You killed Revan and Kailen Star… and you set that Darth Arachni on the galaxy…"

Atris sighed; "To my shame I killed Revan and Kailen only to prove that I was stronger than they were… as for Darth Arachni… he was my apprentice then he betrayed me and dumped me here on this rock… he had surpassed me he desired to be the master…"

Uri remained silent as he processed every word Atris told him looking for the flaws and the hidden meanings in her words. He found none, so he lowered his lightsaber, but he kept it ignited. "What planet is this…"

Atris shrugged; "The aliens who attacked your ship call it… DaKi Three…"

Flashes of the Arachnoid's attack on his ship flashed in his mind; "They look like Darth Arachni… What are they called…"

"Arachnoids…"

"You trained this Darth Arachni what is he capable off…"

She sighed; "Force crush, lightening, battle meditation, aura, barrier, kenesis, telepathy, speed, agility, manipulation, sith alchemy, wave, absorbtion, precognition, choke…"

He raised his hand and stopped her; "What lightsaber forms does he know…"

"All… he is a sith lord…"

"He performed a force technique the Jedi have never heard off in theory or legend; he would vanish and reappear in a flash…"

Atris grunted; "I do not know what it is called, he learned it from one of the holocrons he stole from me…"

Uri finally switched off his lightsaber and walked to the mouth of the cave and took a deep breath. "There must be some way off this planet…" He said without looking back; "I am a Jedi Master with the force as my ally…"

Atris laughed within herself and thought; ("If you only knew what the force truly was then perhaps you could say that…") Out loud she said; "You can leave anytime you want…"

He spun around and looked at her; "What do you mean?"

"Before your star ship exploded I managed to salvage a long range shuttle with hyperdrive… it is in the forest not far from here…"

"Great then we can leave here and return to the core and stop this Darth Arachni…"

Atris grunted; "I'm not going any where… here I found myself again and here I stay…"

"Listen to me Atris… if you come with me we can face your former apprentice together… and seeing you again will throw him off… not only that it will go a long way to showing the Jedi Masters you have attoned for your crimes…"

Atris stood up and stretched then she took some meat from carcase on the spit. "I don't think so… it took me a long time to center myself and find the peace that once illuded me… I want nothing but to spend my remaining years here in isolation… besides you are no match for Darth Arachni… none of the Jedi are unless you embrace Revan's path…"

She went quiet devouring the piece of meat in her hands and when she finished she sat in the entrance of the cave in quiet reverence. "Are you going to explain yourself…"

Atris sighed; "It is not something I should mention…"

"I would here it anyway…"

She sighed again; "Have you ever wondered how Revan was able to defeat so many sith single handidly… and how so many Jedi failed to defeat Exar Kune and Darth Malak, but a fallen reborn Jedi kills Darth Malak…" She allowed Uri to think about it and in the end he shrugged. "It is because Revan knows the Dark side of the force and the light…" She allowed her words to take root and twist its way through his mind, because Darth Traya had been manipulating Uri Pathos from the beginning of the converstation.

"Are you saying that because Revan had knowledge of the sith and Jedi he was able to defeat Malak… I find that hard to believe Revan was always strong in the force…"

"True, but remember the power he wielded as Darth Revan… then later on when he reclaimed his identity as Revan…"

Atris watched the wheels turn in his head and she smiled within herself. "Are you saying there is some type of force technique in learning both the dark side and the ways of the force…"

"Yes a very dangerous technique… Revan discovered and used it to become Darth Revan not because he was corrupted but because he wanted to understand the sith and their methods and used that knowledge to bring down the old sith empire and replace it with the new one… then the new sith empire would be a weak one through his teachings…" Despite her contradictions her words were slowly taking root in his mind.

"But Revan was reprogrammed by the council of Dantooine…" He objected.

"Yes, but it was always his decision and before he was betrayed and captured he intended to turn back from the dark side… his plans had consequences, but he still took that risk… I learned this and tried it… Master Kreia learned this as well, but she went about it in a round about fashion to both expose and defeat Darth Sion and Nihilus…"

Uri stood up and started pacing, "I want you to teach me this technique…" He finally said; "…teach me everything you know about the sith."

Atris shook her head no; "What you want I cannot give… even if I did and you became a sith lord you might destroy me…"

"Darth Arachni didn't destroy you… probably because he thought you were beneath him… This is the only way we can defeat him then so be it… teach me the ways of the sith…"  
>Atris stood up, "I warn you if you lose yourself… then you will become the very thing you hate…"<p>

"The Jedi don't hate the sith… we fight against what they stand for…"

Atris put her head down; "Fine your training will begin tomorrow…" As he walked off Atris smiled to herself; because she would turn Pathos and use him to destroy Darth Arachni so that the true sith lords would step forward.

Pathos had convinced himself that he was strong enough to learn the ways of the sith and use it to destroy Darth Arachni then turn away from the dark side like Revan and Ulic Kel Droma. He spent most of the night in meditation to see where his choices would lead him. The visions he saw came from Atris and he saw Darth Arachni and Darth Caos lying dead at his feet. Deila Shyren was dead as well. Then he saw himself as the leader of the Jedi council because of his strength, power, and wisdom.

The next morning Uri's training began; they sat crossed leg in front of each other in the cave. "You must open yourself to everything the Jedi told you to avoid… if you don't then this won't work…"

He took a deep breath; "I am ready…"

"Peace is a lie… there is only passion…" They sat across from each other; "…It is by passion we fuel our power and command over the force."

"Peace is a lie… why is peace a lie…" Uri asked.

"It is true… the Jedi have mastered their emotions and through a calm peaceful discipline they have mastered the force, but tell me isn't the art of discipline and emotional control a passion to avoid the dark side… how can a Jedi find peace when they war to keep themselves from feeling their base emotions…"

Uri had never thought of it like that and he had to struggle from sounding defensive or offended; "You are twisting the truth behind the Jedi beliefs…"

Atris raised an eyebrow, "Am I…" He had no answer; "…if you cannot bring yourself to recognize the truth then you have already lost and Darth Arachni will bring down the Republic…"

He sighed and took a deep breath; "Peace is a lie… there is only passion…"

"Through passion I gain strength…"

He thought about it; "The strength I need to defeat Darth Arachni…"

She nodded in approval; "Through strength I gain power… through power I gain victory… through victory my chains are broken the force shall free me…"

"Free me from what…"

"From all the things that will hold you back that bind you…" Atris stood up, "It all starts with passion… find your passion and you will take your first steps into a larger world… meditate on this…"

She left him to brew on her words, Atris had to be careful because as she taught Kreia the sith discovered the true tenements of the ultimate knowledge but which was the force without boundaries; the only problem with their philosophy is that in a way the sith placed boundaries on themselves by disreguarding everything the Jedi taught and the Jedi limited themselves to surpressing what they considered to be dark emotions when in fact those emotions could be controlled and harnessed for what the Jedi considered the greater good. Atris had to tread carefully and teach Uri that there was a difference between the dark side and the light otherwise Uri might stumble across the ultimate knowledge and that is something she didn't want.

The next day Atris had Uri stretch out with his mind to a small planet where a primitive group of humans dwelt. "Yes… let us focus on that one…"

"What is the purpose of this exercise?" Uri asked in aggravation.

"You will see… do you feel his force essence?"

His eyes were closed; "Yes…"

"Good… now kill him…" A chill crept over Uri; he had killed before, but only in self defence or the defence of others and that was with his lightsaber. ("A Jedi uses the force for knowledge and defence… never attack…") The words of his former master Vandar echoed in his mind. "Why do you hesitate…"

"I was taught…"

"If you won't let go and perform this one act then perhaps you aren't the one to bring down Darth Arachni… but if you don't then the Republic will fall… the force gave you this vision for that reason… will you turn your back on the galaxy…" Uri took a deep breath and used the force to snuff the man's life out and he felt a sensation he had never felt before in his life. "Don't think for one moment that Darth Arachni won't kill… he will he has… how many Jedi have already fallen to his power… if you don't have the passion, strength, and power to do whatever is necessary then you will fail…"

Uri's anger rose, "You mean like this…" He reached out to another in the village and snuffed his life out as well; then he grabbed a woman and killed her. Then he started killing people two and three at a time until the entire village was dead.

"The lesson is over…" She said walking away.

As the days turned to weeks and the weeks to months Uri's power began to rise and his contenace began to change as well. He had been completely consumed by the dark side in the name of stopping Darth Arachni. Atris taught him force lightening, crush, choke, illusions, drain, phase and battle meditation. In addition to knowing agility, speed, energy manipulation, and force fight.  
>Atris was on one knee pretending to cower before Uri Pathos; "My lord… please spare me…"<p>

"You don't need to cower… rise…"

"Thank you Master Pathos…"

He became angry; "Uri Pathos is no more… I am Darth Patheon… now take me to that ship you always talked about…"

Atris humbly took the new sith lord to the hidden ship and he immediately got on board and powered up the ship. After a preflight checklist he took off. Atris remained in contact with his presence until he went to lightspeed and as soon as the ship was gone Atris resumed her identity as Darth Traya; she smiled to herself and then she vanished in a bright red flash. Her ship was on the moon of the planet. When Atris returned to Sithari she was greeted by Kreia and the highest ranking members of the academy. Everyone but Kreia bowed to Traya as she walked down the ramp. Then with a clap of her hands Kreia dismissed the sith and she and Traya walked through the academy together with Gar.

"You have been busy…" Traya said breaking the silence.

Kreia handed her a report; "You ordered the Arachnoids to annex the planet Xerna…"

"You disapprove…" Kreia asked.

"No… no I don't… this is quit clever actually…"

"You have been busy as well…" When Traya didn't answer she sighed; "…I felt the new sith lord; who is he?"

"His name is Darth Patheon… he was Uri Pathos and he is going to kill Darth Arachni."

"This will bring about the new sith who fight the Jedi…"

"Yes…" Master and apprentice walked through the Trayus academy with the Unknown Regions in the palm of their hand.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21. The Rise of Darth Patheon

It took Darth Patheon six weeks to reach the outer rim world of Bakura where he refueled his ship. While on the newly colonized world Darth Patheon decided he needed an apprentice one he could easily dispose of after he killed Darth Arachni; he had often seen visions of Bao Durr's former apprentice Deila Shyren rising to power as a sith lord. So he decided to recruit her, but first he had to find her.

Deila Shyren had been consumed by the dark side in her quest of revenge; Darth Arachni had spared her a big mistake on his part in her mind. Darth Arachni had underestimated her and she would study him find a weakness and exploit it. Following his path of destruction was easy enough, but now the sith lord had an apprentice one who was extremely powerful and was the cause of the deaths of four powerful Jedi on Bothuwai. She had been hunting Darth Arachni for the past four years, avoiding the Jedi at the same time, but it was time to turn up the heat. Deila's thirst for revenge was unassailable and to quench it she took out her frustrations on Czerka Corporation.

Deila would attack corporate officers and Czerka warehouses in an attempt to get Darth Arachni's attention or interrogate Czerka officers on his whereabouts. Her latest venture brought her to the Czerka Corporate retreat on the tropical world of Spira, where she entered the spa resort and began killing the patrons. In her travels Deila learned to use the force to choke an individual; she held a Rodian in the air by her power and swung her lightsaber killing three humans; then she slammed five people into the wall and deflected blaster fire from security droids. The Rodian's neck broke and she dropped him to the floor; Deila grabbed a human in the force this time.  
>She levitated him over to where she was standing, "If you value your life wretch then tell me where I can find Darth Arachni…"<p>

"I don't know…" The man said gasping for air, "…The sith contact us not the other way around…"

"Deila that's enough…" The strong male voice came from Jedi Master Shar Madriks who was standing in the door with three Jedi she didn't recognize. "If Master Bao Durr were alive he would be very disappointed in you…"

"He is dead…"

"He is one with the force…" One of the other Jedi said taking a flanking position a few feet from Deila

"The force ha… it failed to protect my master… it failed to protect Masters Rand, Bastilla, and Brianna…"

"No the only failure here is you…"

Deila was cut off from the exit and surrounded by a semi circle of armed Jedi who had yet to ignite their weapons. "If I must kill you to gain Darth Arachni's attention then so be it… but know this… you will have to kill me because I will never stop until Darth Arachni is dead…"

The Jedi looked at each other and it was Madriks who said; "So be it… the council wanted us to try and bring you back alive, but all I see around you is the darkness of your vengeance…"

The Jedi ignited their weapons and when they did Deila reached out with her mind and caused an illusion of Darth Arachni who appeared in a bright red flash. Madriks didn't respond to the illusion but two of the three remaining Jedi did and they attacked each other. The third Jedi knew how to protect her mind, but the real threat to Deila was Madriks. They were about to fight when a crackling light of energy engulfed the spell bound Jedi killing them.

"Y… M… P…" Madriks shouted something but the second blast of lightening drowned his voice out.

Deila couldn't tell what was said, but their actions told the story, because Master Madriks went after the unseen attacker while the Jedi turned his attention to Deila. The woman charged Deila and as they fought the sound of battle could be heard from the other side of the room. Deila saw an opening and jumped over the Jedi and stabbed Madriks in the back, while Uri Pathos grabbed the last Jedi in the force crush technique and killed her.

Deila switched off her lightsaber because she was no match for Pathos who had obviously turned to the dark side.

"Master Pathos…"

"Uri Pathos is no more… I am Darth Patheon… and if you want your revenge on Darth Arachni then agree to become my apprentice…"

Deila stared at the Jedi master, "You will teach me the dark side… what do you know of the dark side…"

"I know the way to destroy Darth Arachni… he will fall to my power… and I will share that power with you… agree to become my apprentice and then you shall have your revenge…"

Deila stood there for so long Patheon thought she would reject his offer but she finally stirred and took a knee before the sith lord. "My Lord I pledge myself to you…"  
>Darth Patheon was well pleased with himself; "You may rise… my apprentice… come let us leave this place we have much work to do…"<br>"What is your plan master…" She asked following him out of the building.  
>"Darth Arachni has an army and a fleet… we will need an army of our own… we need to find the Mandelorians…"<p>

Liorran Fett was five months pregnant with her first child and she and Mandar had decided to stay on Magar, but Fett was trying to convince the clan lords to move their families to Mandalore or Keldabe. They didn't have a house persay Mandar and Liorran lived aboard his ship on top of a hill. The hill itself was dug out and the ship ran on the power grid in the hill.

Mandar and Liorran were upgrading the weapons systems when Lurn Katz pulled up on his speeder bike. "Why is your helmet com off?" He asked walking up the stairs.  
>"Because I don't like being bothered unnecessarily…"<br>Katz shook his head disapprovingly, "Just like your father…" Fett smiled to himself. "I came to tell that the clan lords are assembling for a meeting…"  
>Fett looked at Liorran, "Are you going to be alright by yourself…"<br>"Yes I will go ahead…"  
>Fett went around the ship and down into warehouse where he grabbed his speeder bike and followed Katz to an underground hall where the clan lords met. Mandelore sat on a steel chair with the supreme war general at his side.<br>The Supreme War General stepped forward and spoke; "We call this meeting of war to order… let those with a petition come forward…"  
>A man dressed in dark robes with a Twi'lek at his side stepped forward. "I am Darth Patheon… and this is my apprentice Deila Shyren… we come to you with an offer that will restore the glory and honor of the Mandelorian empire…"<br>"You mean the glory and honor of the sith empire…" Fett said speaking up, some people laughed.  
>Mandelore stood up; "We will allow him to be heard…"<br>Darth Patheon looked around at the clan lords assembled before he began speaking again; "When you fought the Republic before they had Revan… that is not the case anymore… I am interested in one thing only and that is the death of a Sith Lord named Darth Arachni… he and his apprentice Darth Caos are preparing to strike coruscant itself…"  
>These words caused some of the clan lords to speak among themselves and it was a man by the name Varheath who spoke up. "Impossible the sith remnant was destroyed at Ruusan…"<br>"A ruse by the former leader of the remnant fleet… he wanted the Jedi and the republic to think they destroyed the remnant while he built up a fleet to attack Coruscant… the sith made promises to you… help me destroy Darth Arachni and I will give you Coruscant and the rest of the galaxy to rule…"  
>Some of the Mandelorians were skeptical others laughed at his proposal, but Katz asked from behind his helmet. "And you are just going to hand over Coruscant and the rest of the galaxy to us?"<p>

"I will…" Deila looked at her master, "…My plan is simple …Darth Arachni plans to attack Coruscant …whoever wins that fight will be weakened by battle we will move in and finish off the winner… and with my battle meditation you mandelorians are garunteed a victory…"  
>Darth Patheon could feel the clan lords' approval, but he became worried when Fett spoke. "We have all heard this before… our pride lead to our downfall because we underestimated the republic and the Jedi… Don't allow the sith to be the downfall of our race… we are strong once again… and our strength grows greater each day… and there will come a day when the galaxy will tremble at our numbers… they will tremble at the very mention of our names, but not if we follow more sith lies…"<br>Some of the clan lords agreed with Fett and Deila thought his arguments would sway the council, but up; "Our time is now… and that day is here… none of the other sith lords promised to fight at our side… and now this Darth Patheon comes before us with another opportunity at greatness… I for one will not pass it by…" With those words the council members vowed to got to war with Darth Patheon.  
>Mandar stood up, "You can have this madness… I will have no part with it…" As Mandar left the auditorium Katz got up and followed as well.<p>

With the call to war the mandelorians began preparing their warships and weapons for battle. Deila walked with Darth Patheon through a hanger that belonged to Mandelore himself. "Master when will my training begin… you haven't…"  
>"Your training has already begun and the best way to learn is by doing…"<br>"But you haven't taught me any sith philosophy or…"  
>"If you are going to question my methods then perhaps you can do better on your own…" He said interrupting her.<br>Deila became humble, "Forgive me master…"  
>"Yes… now I have a mission for you apprentice… I want you to go to Coruscant and observe the upcoming battle… and report back to me…"<br>Deila had her doubts; if the Jedi discovered her presence she would be done for and unable to get her revenge, but she kept her feelings hidden and obeyed. "I shall leave at once master…"

As Deila's ship took off Mandalore joined Darth Patheon, "My fleet will be ready in six hours…"  
>"Good… my apprentice will contact me when she has the information we need. While the rest of the Mandalorians prepared for war Mandar and Katz had their own plans. Katz decided to go to Mandalore and build a society there while Fett would travel to Keldabe.<p>

As Deila traveled she decided to put herself into a trance and meditate on her recent decisions. As she was meditating a vision came to her of another sith lord; one she had only heard of and that was Darth Caos. He stood before her on a ship and a battle raged all around them. Darth Caos stood with his hand out towards her in friendship. Then all went white in a flash and a new sith lord was standing over Darth Caos' dead body. The sith lord was a Twi'lek and when she took her hood down it was Deila, but now she was the leader of the sith order.  
>Deila awoke from her visions and she thought about them for hours; ("There is a choice I must make…") She finally thought to herself. (Darth Patheon can't be my master…") She concluded.<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22. Spies

There were several disturbances in the force and the Jedi was fighting tirelessly to find the causes of those disturbances. The Jedi had many allies in their fight against the sith and those allies were also risking their lives to aid the Jedi. Among their allies was Mission Vao who had been on a personal quest to find the location of the sith lord Darth Arachni. She also had a personal vendetta because of the death of her friends Bastilla Shan, Jolee Bindo, and Juhanni. Zaalbar the current ruler of the Wookies insisted Hurgart go with her on her journey. Her quest took her from one end of the galaxy to the next and finally she decided to pay Canderous Ordo a visit the current leader of the Mandelorians. He pointed her in the right direction to the planet Ord Mantell; Mantel was ruled by rival gangs. It is a planet often visited by mercenaries. Eventually Mission and Hurgart spotted a known sith spy who was recruiting mercenaries.  
>"You hiring for mercenaries?" She asked.<p>

He looked her up and down; "Why you a mercenary?"

"Yes… we both are…"

He laughed, "The wookie I might believe, but you… you're kinda young…"

"Yeah that would work in my favor…"

"Jarac…" When the sith spy yelled that name a large gamorrean came out of nowhere. "The little nat says she is a mercenary… try her out…"

Jarac let out a war cry and attacked Mission; she rolled to the ground and came up on her feet. She jumped onto his back and grabbed his horns twisting his head, but the gamorrean was too strong. The Gamorrean fell backwards and tried to pin Mission to the ground, but Mission jumped up as he was coming down and stomped his face in breaking his nose and busting an eye; Jarac roared in pain.

"Alright that's enough…"The sith spy ordered; "…You have some moves." The sith spy said as a medical droid attended to Jarac.

"What's the job?" Mission asked.

He smiled; "You will see… we leave in one hour…"

Mission and Hurgart stood stayed close to one another as the private hangar filled with mercenaries of different species. There were two Twi'leks a male and a female; three more gamorreans; a Barabel and an Aqualish the rest were human about a hundred of them.

The sith spy who hired everyone checked his chrono and yelled; "Alright listen up… we are heading out… load up…"

They all got on board a heavy transport ship and off it took heading into space and then it made lightspeed. Mission and Hurgart sat in the cargo hold along with the other mercenaries. There were also military grade weapons crates in the hold as well. The doors that lead to the rest of the ship opened and in the sith spy came with four sith assassins.

"Alright people we are heading to Coruscant…" When the spy said this many of the mercs grumbled because most of them were wanted by the Republic. "You have been hired by Darth Arachni to sabotage Coruscant's defense grid…"

"And what do we do when the Jedi come after us…"

"The Jedi won't be a problem… any other questions…"

Mission looked at Hurgart; the two of them were in the middle of it. Their one chance was to make a move when they arrived on Coruscant.

When no one else spoke up Mission raised her hand; "Where are we going to land and when does the job start?"

"We wait for the transmission… as for where we land that is a secret…"

Hurgart growled a question; "My friend wants to know when do we get paid…"

"You will get half when we land and the rest when the job is done…"

Hurgart and Mission found a quiet place to assemble their weapons and incased inside the clip was a transponder. That could only be picked up by a special receiver used by Republic agents.

When the ship came out of hyperspace it headed towards the warehouse district and landed in a warehouse that is owned by Czerka Corporation. When they landed Mission and Hurgart swallowed oxygen pills the pills would allow them to breath in any situation. The pills were necessary because within twelve minutes of the signal over five hundred agents were in position to strike. As the agents got ready to strike Mission and Hugart were also getting ready by planting sonic bombs on the weapons crates. An explosion shook the warehouse and the agents stormed in with their blasters set on stun. They also used gas bombs and were jamming the signal.

Hugart took out his double blade and killed the two Twi'leks and the Gamorrean; the Barabel disarmed him and he pulled out his bowcaster shooting the barabel at point blank range. Mission took down four warehouse workers and captured the sith spy herself. When it was over the commanding agent had the prisoners interrogated. Mission and Hurgart were given high commendations and were allowed to report to the Jedi council.

"Are you certain?" Ki Lazz asked after Mission finished her report.

"For certain… Darth Arachni plans on attacking Coruscant…"

"Not with the entire Jedi order here…" Zez Ki Yell said.

Mission continued, "Admiral Derja is assembling the fleet as we speak and the Ondaronians are sending ships along with the wookies and the Telosian government…"

Haal Wendu was there as well and it was he who lead the Jedi when the warehouse was taken. "Masters… I would like to request your permission in leading the fight against Darth Arachni…"

"For vengeance…" Master Vrook asked.

"No master… I have a plan… Grand Master Gaffeen knows battle meditation… it is not as powerful as Master Shan's was but if the entire council pulls their power together they could amplify Master Gaffeen's power… the sith believe their team was successful in infiltrating Coruscant and when they attack we will be ready…"

["Young Wendu's plan is sound… we will use it…"] Gaffeen said. When the council agreed to the plan they bought the plan to Supreme Chancellor Jullion Van Mont and Admiral Derja (Twi'lek)


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23. War of the Sith Lords

Darth Caos had grown in strength and power due to the training he received from Darth Arachni and he believed his time had come to overthrow his master and take his revenge. Darth Caos was in his private meditation sphere making his plans to attack during the battle of Coruscant. He was using the force to forsee any and all outcomes of his fight with his master. Then his meditation was interrupted by a powerful vision; a vision of a female Twi'lek with red skin. She had a lightsaber drawn with a blue energy blade. (A fallen Jedi…) He thought sensing the dark side in his vision. He woundered how their fight would end because this wasn't the first time he had seen the Twi'lek in his visions. His vision self didn't attack instead he saw himself extend his hand in friendship then he saw a vision of the Twi'lek standing at his side as his apprentice and that is when he heard her sith name. Darth Caos opened his eyes as he heard the call of his master. The sphere opened up and Caos made his way to the war room.

When Caos entered the room Darth Arachni was alone; he walked right up to the Arachnoid and dropped to one knee. "You summoned me master?"

"You may rise my apprentice… Yes the time has come to make our war against the Jedi… and take the galaxy assss our own…"

"You realize master that the Jedi may be expecting an attack… they may have even forseen it…" Caos said trying to make him doubt himself, but it didn't work.

"Impossible… we have been flooding the force with illusionsss of our intentionsss… and even if they suspect something we outnumber their forces five to one…"

They began walking towards the shuttle that would take them to the flag ship the Sith's Destiny. "There is something else though another power arising in the galaxy… a sith lord by the name of Darth Patheon…"

Caos looked at Arachni as they walked up the ramp past ten sith assassins who knelt to the both of them as they passed by. "I have felt him my master…"

"He has aligned himself with the Mandaloriansss…"

"He may attack after the battle of Coruscant is decided…" Caos said taking a seat next to Arachni.

They continued that line of discussion as the shuttle took off and made orbit where the new Sith Fleet was assembled around the northern polar region of the planet. The fleet was a mixture of ships from all over the outer rim. Twenty percent of the fleet was made up of the uniform sith ships; triangle shaped. Fifty percent of the fleet was made up of war lords who controlled star systems throughout wild space and the rest of the fleet was made up of ships from star systems that were once loyal to Darth Malak.

"Hail Darth Arachni… Hail Darth Caos…" The fleet commanders yelled when the two sith entered the bridge of the flag ship.

Admiral Niolus saluted again and said; "My lord the fleet is ready for light speed at your command…"

"Have the commanderssss report to their ships and when they are ready… have the fleet make the jump…"

"Yes my lord… all commanders report to your ships…"

Thirty minutes passed before the entire fleet made the jump to hyperspace. While traveling through hyperspace Darth Caos got ready to betray his master, but as he got ready he felt within himself that it wasn't time, the force was telling him to wait.

Darth Arachni could feel his apprentice's growing ambition and desire for revenge, but Darth Caos wasn't ready in so many ways. ("We will have to find someone more worthy to be our apprentice…") He thought to himself; then Arachni remembered the Twi'lek he spared on Dantooine. He could since she was with Darth Patheon and decided he would kill Patheon and offer the Twi'lek the chance to join him.

Coruscant:

The Republic fleet was in position but the bulk of the fleet was made up of reserve forces, because the fleet was in rotation and those forces with battle experience were either on leave or they were on other assignments throughout the galaxy. The Jedi council and five other masters were assembled on the star ship Vigilence to boost Master Gaffeen's battle meditation. Jedi Knight Haal Wendu was in command on board the Liberator focusing his power on the upcoming battle. The sith believed Coruscant's defence grid had been sabotaged, but the system was powered up and ready at a moments notice. The civilian ships that swarmed the skies of Coruscant were flown by military personel. The bulk of the Republic fleet was hidden throughout city sky scrapers of the mega metropolis, so that when the sith attacked the ships would skim the surface of the planet and flank the sith fleet before they could deploy the fleet.

Haal Wendu paced back and forth until he felt the sith fleet getting ready to enter real space. "Admiral signal the fleet… they are here…"

The moment Derja sent the signal the sith fleet came out of hyperspace. The bridge crew of the Liberator was spell bound because of the countless number of ships that kept popping out of hyperspace. Haal Wendu stood defiantly on board the Liberator staring at the ever growing fleet of sith ships.

"We need to buy our ships some time to get in position… admiral order all fighters to attack…"

Republic star fighters swarmed to engage the sith fighters and harass the sith capital ships. In the first volley two dozen sith fighters went down and nine Republic fighters were destroyed. Two Republic squadrons attacked and crippled a sith destroyer, but then both squadrons were taken down and destroyed. The Republic capital ships responded with a deadly volley of laser cannon fire, but they kept their distance.

Bridge of the Sith's Destiny:

"Admiral order all shipsss full attack…"

When Admiral Niolus gave the word the entire sith fleet plowed forward across space threatening to engulf the planet and the small group of star ships fighting desperately to protect Coruscant.

Vigilence:

A holographic image of Haal Wendu was being projected onto the bridge of the Vigilence. "Masters… the rest of the fleet is in position… it is time…"

["Agreed…"] Gaffeen replied. Gaffeen opened himself up to the force and the other masters around him and began using his battle meditation. Despite Gaffeen's battle meditation the Republic fleet was out numbered. However when the rest of the fleet flanked the sith fleet from behind the battle for the sith fell into disarray. Three sith cruisers went down immediately in the first volley from the flanking Republic ships. Then the battle began to spread across the entire system of Coruscant. In many instances one Republic ship would face anywhere from two to nine sith ships not including the sith star fighters and receive little if any help from Republic star fighters. It was a desperate battle with most of the sith fleet untouched by the battle as they slowly plowed their way to Coruscant.

Liberator:

"We can't allow them to land their invasion forces on the planet… get me General Syran…" when Syran's image was projected onto the bridge of the Libertator it flickered in and out. "General it is time activate planetary defense grid…"

At his orders the planetary shield came to life and the defense satellites activated and began firing on the sith ships. Arachni had battle meditation and he decided not to use it, but when the planetary defenses activated Arachni decided to use his power to sway the battle back into his favor. Now it was battle with the force between Gaffeen and Arachni.

"That sith scum is using battle meditation…" Haal said out loud, "Captain Tarkle… ahead full power… raming speed… we are going to take down the sith flag ship…"

"Jedi Wendu… perhaps you should consult the council… if we withdraw and regroup we may have a better chance against the sith…"

"Captain in the time it would take us to regroup the sith will have a clear shot at the planetary shields… no we attack…"

Tarkle sighed; then he became steel faced. "Ahead full power… ramming speed… dump everything but life support into the shields…" A long metal spear protruded from the front of the Liberator as the ship plowed through enemy fire towards the Sith's Destiny.

Surface of Coruscant's moon:

Deila Shyren had never seen or been in a battle; growing up among the Jedi she had only heard of the great exploits of legendary Jedi like Revan, Kavar, and Ulic Kel Droma. She was hiding in a canyon on the moon's surface observing the battle from afar. She watched as a Republic fighter went down in a blazing fire ball and slammed into the surface of the moon only three hundred yards away. To avoid detection she used the force to move the ship to another position and when she stopped Deila felt a familiar presence in the force. A presence she never had direct contact with, but had seen often enough in the force. She was about to reach out to the presence when she felt something else and that something was being picked up by her long range scanners.

It was Ondaronian star ships and battle cruisers and as they entered normal space they began attacking the sith fleet.

Deila was monitoring fleet transmissions and heard the following between the Ondaronian commander and the Jedi commanding the Republic fleet. "Sorry we are late…" The Ondaronian commander said.

"Better late than never…" Wendu replied.

With the insertion of the Ondaronia fleet the Liberator slammed into the hall of the sith's Destiny.

Sith's Destiny:

When the Liberator slammed into the sith's destiny it shook the entire ship and nocked Arachni out of his battle meditation, but only for a second. Darth Caos took command and ordered the blockade runners to attack the Ondaronians. As the ships obeyed his orders he looked at his master who was still locked in his mental battle with the Jedi. It would be the perfect time to strike, but the force kept telling him to wait. He swallowed his pride and did just that.

"My lord…" Admiral Niolus yelled; "…we are being boarded."

The boarding party was lead by Haal Wendu who left the command of the fleet in the hands of Admiral Derja. He cut his way through sith troopers, mercenaries, hired commandoes, and sith assassins in a desperate attempt to find Darth Arachni.

Darth Caos prepared himself because he was planning on using force lightening to electrify the entire ship killing the boarding party and the crew of the Sith's Destiny. He was about to act when an alien hand touched him on the shoulder.

"Evacuate the ship…" Arachni ordered.

Both escape pods and star shuttles swarmed from the hangers of the sith's destiny. Haal Wendu ordered his troops back aboard the liberator when he felt Arachni no longer using his battle meditation.

The battle raged on despite the loses the Republic suffered then as it seemed all hope was lost Telosian battle cruisers came out of hyperspace.

"The force is with you brave soldiers of the Republic and so is Carth Onasi…" Carth was in command of the Telosian defence force that entered the battle. They boldly fought their way to the shield and defended it against the sith ships pounding it.

Now the tide of the battle began turning in favor of the Republic.

The Cracken:

The star ship cracken was made into the new sith flag ship and when Darth Arachni boarded the ship he ordered the sith fleet to pull back and regroup.

"Apprentice we are going to have to put an end to those Jedi… Are you with us…"

"I am with you master!"

"Prepare yourself…" There was a bright red flash and both Arachni and Caos vanished.

Vigilence:

"They are retreating…" Yinarr Ki Lazz declared.

Master Vandarr broke concentration as well and looked at the tactical screen. "No regrouping they are…"

The masters were on the observation deck of the Vigilence when it was engulfed in a bright red flash. When the light subsided Darth Arachni and Caos were both in the mist of the masters. Both sith lords threw out their hands and unleashed a lightening storm. Some of the masters were able to block the lightening while a few were caught off guard and killed. Master Vandarr blocked the lightening with his hands and jumped at Arachni drawing his lightsaber, but Arachni drew his weapon and blocked the diminuative jedi master. They traded three blows when Master Kavar joined the melee. Arachni responded by turning his double blade into two weapons and fought both masters. Master Vrook was about to join the battle, but he was blocked by Darth Caos. Vrook broke through Caos' defence and front kicked him. Caos landed in front of Master Gallo Helm. Caos blocked the jedi master's attack and stabbed him in the gut then kicked him in the chest. Mia Shale ran up and tried to kill Caos while he was still on his back but Caos rolled backwards onto his knees and faced the awesome fighting skills of Jedi Master Mia Shale who wielded a lightwhip of all weapons. Mia Shale was master with her whip as she was able to block and attack at the same time.

"Stay back I will handle him…" She said to the other masters who was protecting Master Gaffeen.

"She will handle me because she wants the power of the force for herself… she wants to be the new lord of the sith… why else would she wield a lightwhip… darkness is in her heart…" Caos' words were filled with darkside energy and most of the masters were able to protect themselves from it; but Masters Vrook and Yinarr Ki Lazz drowned in his darkside words.

("Only a sith lord would use such a weapon…") Echoed Caos' words in Vrook's mind. He let out a scream and jumped over Arachni and Vandarr and charged Mia from behind.

("Mia has deceived us she wants the power of the dark side for herself…") Yinarr Ki Lazz was about to attack when he was tackled by Fiorra Hinn and held down. "We have to stop her… Mia will turn on us… can't you see she wants the title of sith lord for herself… let me go before it is too late…"

As Fiorra struggled to hold Lazz down Vrook made his way to Mia and tried to attack her from behind, but at the last minute she flicked her wrist and took off one of his legs above the knee and when she tried to defend herself from Caos he knocked the lightwhip from her hand. Caos thought he had the jedi master, but she surprised him with another weapon; a traditional lightsaber. She blocked and force threw him across the room, but as he was flying through the air Caos summoned Galo's lightsaber. The weapon reached his hand as he twisted in the air and landed on his feet. Caos threw the weapon severing Fiorra's left arm.

Darth Arachni was in an intense fight with Jedi Master Vandarr; they struggled back and forth with blades and the force as they tried to dominate each other. Arachni grabbed Kavar in the force and slammed him into the wall. Then he threw force lightening at the Jedi Master, but Vandar jumped into the path and blocked it with his lightsaber. Arachni grabbed four chairs and slammed all four into Vandarr. The little Jedi Master hit the floor unconscious and Arachni walked up to Vandarr twirling both his blades when Gaffeen broke his meditation and unleashed a force shout at Arachni. The sound brought the sith lord to his knees and now both Arachni and Caos were surrounded by seventeen masters all of whom had their weapons drawn.

"Master I think it is time for a hasty retreat…" Caos said. The masters tried to bind that strange force technique that allowed Arachni to vanish into thin air but none of them knew what it was so Arachni and Caos were able to escape.

"By the force he isn't dead…" Mia Shale said standing over Gallo Helm. When Helm was stabbed he placed himself in a healing trance.

"I could use some help…" Fiorra Hinn said holding Vrook down with one arm.

It was Dainor Rimjall who responded to her call and removed the dark voices from his mind. ["How is Master Vandarr…"] Dainor asked to Gaffeen who was watching over the Jedi Master.

["He lives… a little beat up, but he will live…"] That is when four dozen Republic troopers burst into the room.

The Cracken:

When Darth Arachni and Darth Caos returned to the Cracken the sith fleet was slowly pounding away at the Republic fleet and gaining space by the minute and to insure victory Darth Arachni used his power to bind Master Gaffeen's battle meditation. All seem lost when a new fleet entered the battle; it was the new wookie fleet fresh off the assembly lines for battle. The Wookie battle cruisers were heavily armored and could take more damage even if the shields were lost. The fighters were just as equipped as well and with that the battle turned back in favor of the Republic.

"My lord we should withdraw…" Admiral Niolus said and they were his last words. Darth Arachni choked him to death.

"Anyone else wishes to withdraw…" The bridge was silent and no one said a word.

The hours dragged on as Darth Arachni ordered his forces to keep fighting. The sith still outnumbered the Republic five to four and that is when a huge surge of force power turned the tide of the battle and at first darth Arachni thought it was Traya, but no it was his new enemy Darth Patheon who through his apprentice was helping the Republic. The sith lost five more capital ships before Darth Arachni ordered the retreat.

The Liberator:

A thunderous cheer went up as the sith withdrew from Coruscant. "Sir shall we pursue?" Admiral Dejar asked.

"No… send a scout ship to track them… and tend to the wounded…"

"Aye sir…"

An hour had passed before the Vigilent pulled along side the Liberator and the masters were able to talk with Haal Wendu.

"I feel I must apologize for mental weakness…" Vrook said.

"No need to apologize Master Vrook…" Mia said. "…At times we all fall prey to the tricks of the mind…"

Haal Wendu cleared his throat; "If I may masters… I sent a scout ship to track the sith and soon we will no the planet they are operating from…"

"A risky move young Wendu… we have suffered many loses today and the fleet is in no condition to mount an attack like that…" Kavar said.

"With the proper planning it could be done…" Carth said.

["We placed our faith in young Wendu and he has lead us to victory…"] Dainor said, ["…If he thinks we can pull it off then I say we try or Darth Arachni will come back more powerful than ever…"]

Fiorra grunted; "That victory had nothing to do with us there is another piece on the game board…"

"Matser Hinn is right…" Vandarr said entering the war room. "Forseen have I… Master Pathos has turned to the dark side…"

Wendu was worried the council wouldn't pursue the matter; "It is obvious Pathos or Darth Patheon as he calls himself now is was planning to attack the loser of this battle… he used his battle meditation to aid us… lets do what he did and attack whoever loses the upcoming battle…" Many of the masters didn't like Wendu's plan, but they agreed it was necessary to put an end to the sith.

Suvaaf:

An hour after Arachni's fleet came out of hyperspace Deila's ship came out of hyperspace and she was about to send the signal when her scanners detected a Republic long range scout ship. She waited for the droid ship to send its transmission first so that she could piggy back her signal on it. Then she found a moon to land on and hide until her master and the Mandalorians arrived.

The Cracken:

Darth Caos' visions were coming true and it was time to act; the first thing he did was reprogram T3 to obey his commands and then he stole his master's holocron and replaced it with a fake one. Then he joined his master on the bridge who was too angry to sense his own eminent doom.

"My lord long range scout ships have detected Mandalorian war ships coming out of hyperspace in sector two…"

"Prepare for battle…" Arachni ordered, then he turned his attention to Caos; "He will come for usssss… We will face him alone find hissss apprentice and kill her…"

"As you command master…"

Mandalorian Flagship The Juggernaut:

Darth Patheon stood on the bridge of the Juggernaut waiting for the arrival of his apprentice. As he waited Mandalore ordered his fleet into battle formation.

"My scouts say we are out numbered…" Mandalore said standing next to Patheon.

He looked at Mandalore, "My battle meditation will even the odds… and once Darth Arachni is dead Coruscant will be ours for the picking…" The doors to the bridge opened and Delia Shyren walked across the bridge and knelt before her master. "You have done well my apprentice…"

Deila stood up, "May I speak with you in private…"

"Mandalore… we will begin the attack when I return to the bridge…"

Mandalore watch the two sith leave the bridge to talk about their secrets. He didn't get the feeling Patheon was going to betray him, but Mandalore didn't completely trust Darth Patheon either.

"Forgive me master, but why did you aid the Republic with your battle meditation… I thought the plan was to allow the battle to unfold and then destroy the winner…"

Darth Patheon didn't answer right away he closed his eyes and used the force to make sure no one was ease dropping on them before answering. "I had no intention of handing over Coruscant to the Mandalorians… I just want to destroy Darth Arachni…"

Deila had a feeling he would betray the Mandalorians and she got the feeling he was going to betray her as well. "When the mandalorians find out that you have betrayed them…"

"They won't I have something special in mind for them… I will use the thought bomb on them…" She gasped, Deila knew what the thought bomb was through her studies under Bao Durr. "I have another task for you my apprentice I want you to find and face Arachni's apprentice Darth Caos…"

Deila didn't question his order, it only confirmed her suspiscions about Darth Patheon. "Of course master…"

"You're not afraid are you?"

"Of course not master…"

"Good because I will use my battle meditation and you will be invincible…"

He lied and she could tell, Deila's only hope now is that her visions about Darth Arachni's apprentice were correct. Darth Patheon's plan was to allow Darth Arachni to board the Juggernaut and kill him. While he faced off against Darth Arachni Deila would face Darth Caos and she would die at his hands then he would kill Darth Caos and then deal with the Mandalorians. After that the only enemy the Republic and the Jedi would have is one Sith Lord; Darth Patheon.

The battle began and in the first volley over five dozen sith star fighters were destroyed along with three capital ships. The farocity of the Mandalorians was only amplified by Darth Patheon's battle meditation. Darth Arachni held back and instead used his natural battle tactics against the Mandalorians. As the battle progressed and the minutes became the first hour of the battle the Mandalorian fleet lost six star ships and two dozen star fighters.

The Republic Fleet:

The stars returned to normal as the Republic fleet returned to normal space. Haal Wendu was on board the Liberator and the rest of the Jedi Masters were spread throughout the fleet so that if Darth Arachni appeared they wouldn't be as easy a target.

"All ships report in…" Haal ordered.

When the entire fleet finished their report Haal had the entire fleet come to a full stop just outside of scanning range. A scout ship was sent to relay the location of enemy ships and report the battle.

Mandalorian-Sith battle:

A sith star fighter went screaming into the hall of a Mandalorian cruiser and exploded on the flying skills of the sith fighters were pushed to the limit, because of Darth Patheon's battle mediation. On the bridge of the Cracken Darth Arachni ordered his flagship to attack the Mandalorian flagship, despite the protests of the bridge crew. It was obvious that the ship was being allowed to pull up beside the Juggernaut a foolish ploy on the part of Darth Patheon Arachni thought.

"Commander… you and your men will come with me…" Arachni ordered to a sith soldier."Your sith assassins will join me… kill all the mandalorians… Darth Patheon is mine and mine alone…" Darth Caos joined the group that was about to board the Juggernaut. "Ah Lord Caos… find the Twi'lek apprentice and kill her…"

"Yes my master…"

Mandalorians were already in position when an explosion blew a hole into the hall of the ship and the sith commandoes stormed aboard firing their blaster riffles. Eight Mandalorians died in the first volley and twenty Sith died a few seconds after boarding the vessel. The numbers were evened out when Arachni, Caos, and the sith assassins joined the fight. When the hanger was secure Arachni separated from the group to face Darth Patheon who was waiting for him on the common deck. When the doors to the common deck opened Darth Patheon stood with his lightsaber drawn and his robe lying at his feet.

"The great and powerful Darth Arachni… I have been looking forward to fighting you for a long time…"

"You have Darth Traya's stink all over you…" When Arachni said this Patheon flinched; "…So you didn't know. Let me educate you fool… Atris lied to you… it is what she does… she is Darth Traya the master of betrayals and manipulation… she used you to get to me… but you don't have to die… join me and with our combined might we can rule the galaxy… not even Traya will be able to stand in our way…"

Arachni's words swam through his mind but Darth Patheon wasn't falling for it. "You take me for a fool… your old master showed me the true power of the force and I will use it to destroy you…"

"Then die in your foolishness…"

Patheon ran towards Arachni and leapt to close the distance, as he was coming down Arachni ignited his weapon and their melee began. Patheon held nothing back in his onslaught as he was determined to put a quick end to Darth Arachni. Arachni couldn't underestimate Patheon because his lightsaber skills were extrodinary. Darth Arachni had only one end of his double blade ignited as they battled back and forth at incredible speed and accuracy. They slammed their energy blades into each other and with their free hands they shot force lightening at each other at point blank range creating a force storm that electrified the floor and walls around them.

Deila Shyren aided the Madalorians where she could against the sith assassins. She was dueling two highly skilled assassins both armed with lightsabers. In the span of eight minutes she managed to wound one of the assassins by severing his arm. She then kicked the second in the throat causing him to stumble backwards. Deila was about to finish him off when the first assassin used his good arm and attacked Deila. She rolled to the ground just in time and force threw her lightsaber killing him. Now there was only one assassin and he was on his feet getting ready to attack so Deila grabbed him in the force and choked him to death. As she summoned her lightsaber to her hand Deila felt it the presence of Darth Caos. She looked around and noticed where she was; it was the place from her vision, the spot she had seen dozens of times.

The doors opened and a tall human of medium build who walked in wearing a black hooded cloak, black boots and gloves. The hood was down and his yellow eyes bore into Deila as if he could see right through her. Deila kept her lightsaber ignited and at the ready.

"So we finally meet…" Deila didn't respond she wasn't one hundred percent confident in her visions so she had to be ready for anything. "…You are exactly what I was expecting …you have nothing to say?" He looked her up and down; "I know why you are here… you want revenge and I can give it to you… because I want revenge on Darth Arachni as well; become my apprentice… what better revenge can you get than joining with the Apprentice of Darth Arachni…"

Deila grunted; "And why should I trust you…"

"My master killed my family… my wife and three children… the only way I could get revenge was too join him… through his training my power has reached it's peek… I was intending to betray him during the battle and then I saw you in my visions… It is our destiny to rebuild the sith… my master's rage has blinded him to the fact that the republic fleet is nearby and they will attack the loser of this battle… what better revenge can we get than to abandon both our masters in their the time of their greatest need… they will destroy each other and the winner will face the might of the Jedi…" Deila flinched when Caos reached into his robe; "…And I have this." He was holding a sith holocron.

"A holocron…" Deila gasped as she switched off her lightsaber. "…where did that come from? The Jedi confiscated all of the sith holocrons."

"I don't know yet…" Caos replied greedily admiring the holocron in his hand; "…my master had it and I stole it from him. I will use the knowledge of this holocron to improve my knowledge and power of the dark side." He returned his attention to Deila; "And with it I can complete your training…"

Deila cautiously walked up to Caos and dropped to one knee; "I submit myself to your training master…"

"From this moment on Deila Shyren is no more… You will be known as my apprentice… Darth Shenron…"

"Thank you Master…"

"Arise…" Caos ordered.

"Where will we go master… the Jedi know of our existence and they will try to hunt us down…"

He grunted; "We will go to the one place where they will never think to find us…"

That was the beginning of the reign of Darth Caos and Darth Shenron. Master and apprentice searched the mandalorian ship and killed all the remaining sith assassins then they boarded the Cracken and stole Arachni's long range star ship the loaner and set coarse for Alderaan.

Darth Patheon attacked with everything he had in his attempt to destroy Darth Arachni; both combatants had inflicted damage upon one another and their duel was still going on as they tried to gain dominance over the other. Darth Patheon was using all his might to bind all of Darth Arachni's power so that he couldn't use that force ability that allowed him to teleport from one place to the other. Darth Arachni used his speed to try and wear down his smaller apponent.

("When facing a faster opponent use their speed against them…") Echoed Atris' words in his mind; he faked a block and allowed the blade of Arachni's sword to glance off then Patheon arced his saber around and severed Arachni's left arm.

With a glee of victory Patheon pressed his attack; from the pain of his severed arm Darth Arachni drew the power to break the force bind Patheon was holding over him. When he was free Arachni vanished in a bright red light. Patheon stretched out with his mind to try and feel where Arachni would reappear next. He gritted his teeth and spun around to the left with his blade at a middle guard, but Arachni appreared on his right and stabbed him in the side twisting the blade.

"Fool!" Arachni barked and withdrew the blade and severed Patheon's head. Arachni watched with satisfaction as his head hit the floor and his body collapsed. Arachnoids had the natural ability to take one of their smaller arms and replace a severed limb. It was a long painful process, but Arachni used the force to speed it up and within eight minutes he had a new arm and hand. He flexed his hand getting accustomed to his new arm; then Arachni went looking for Mandalore the leader of the mandalorians.

Mandalore sat on his war thrown directing the battle via a holographic tactical screen in front of him. He watched as the battle went back and forth between the sith and his people. He was about to give some new orders when a commotion at the door caught his attention. The commotion consisted of the sound of lightsaber slamming into cortosis laced swords and blaster fire. Then there was the unmistakable sound of thunder then all was quiet. The doors to the war room made a bending sound and thrumbed as if someone was hitting it with a battering ram. The door grated again then it was ripped off the track and balled up like a piece of paper and dropped to the floor. The mandalorian generals fired their guns at the alien sith lord enetering the thrown room, but Arachni caught the blaster bolts with his hand and threw them back at double the power. The mandalorian generals died as the bolts burned through their armor and killed them. Mandalore unsheathed his sword and charged Darth Arachni; their fight only lasted five moves as when Arachni blocked an attack he twisted the other half of his double blade and made two weapons. He used a force technique that allowed him to find the weak point in Mandalores armor and collapse the entire suit with one move; he then spun around and decapitated him.

Arachni stood over his body gloating; "So much for the great Mandalore…" Arachni then stretched out with his mind to find his apprentice Darth Caos. He found nothing; "That little Twi'lek couldn't have killed my apprentice…" Arachni said out loud, the more he searched the more things seem to get confusing he didn't feel the exertions in the force that Caos would have used to kill the girl, but he did sense the deaths of his sith assassins and that is when Arachni realized that Caos had betrayed him. His anger and rage turned into an inferno like volcanoe ready to explode and he unleashed it with a cry of frustration. His wave of rage energy consumed and destroyed everyone on board the ship both Mandalorians and Sith. It spread out from the Juggernaut and consumed all the Mandalorians and the bulk of their fleet.

"Run wherever you wish apprentice I shall find and destroy you…" He said into the force.

Darth Arachni returned to the Cracken and learned that his holocron had also been stolen. He killed everyone on the bridge in his rage and ordered more people to the bridge for operations.

"Set course for Alderaan…" Arachni ordered as the battle was winding down. The Mandalorians had fought to the bitter end and it cost the sith dearly.

The pilot was about to carry out Arachni's orders when a signal alarmed the arrival of the Republic Fleet. "My lord Republic ships entering our sector…" Arachni walked across the floor of the bridge and stood in front of the main view screen.

Bridge of the Liberator:

"All ships full attack…" Haal Wendu ordered.

The entire fleet went to full power and opened fire at the sith ships. The sith returned fire but many of their ships had been damaged by Mandalorians or by Darth Arachni's own rage. Star fighters fought it out in elaborate dog fights chasing and evading one another. Capital ships were torn apart by blockade runners and warships or harassed by fighters. The battle was going in favor of the Republic because of Master Gaffeen's enhanced battle meditation.

"It is time to end this battle…" Haal said; "…Contact the Hydra and the Red Star tell them to cover us as we go for the Cracken…" Haal wanted to board the Cracken and kill Darth Arachni, because he was now using his battle meditation and that would drag out the batlle longer than he wanted.

With the aid of several fighters the Liberator was able to pull up beside the Cracken and Haal and his commandoes were able to board the ship.

The defenders fought bravely, but to no avail with Haal Wendu leading the charge through the Cracken. Nine soldiers fell to his dual lightsabers and afterwards he stratched out with his mind and found what he was looking for; Darth Arachni who was waiting for him in the cargo hold.

When Haal entered the cargohold Arachni vanished in a bright red flash. Haal cautiously walked into the cargo hold with his senses pointed in every direction for the slightest tremor in the force. He felt it at the last minute and ducked just as Arachni reappeared swinging his blade. When Haal came up on his feet he force threw his left hand sword, but Arachni vanished again. Haal kept both hands on his saber as the other sword kept flying back and forth across the room at his will. Arachni reappeared attacking again only this time Haal was able to block and pary then counter attack. Arachni vanished just as Haal's other lightsaber came spinning at his head. Haal stood at the ready stepping to the right then he spun around flourishing his saber; then he felt it again. When Arachni reappeared Haal swung around attacking; he swung for the Arachnoid's mid section and was blocked. They fought back and forth against one another and after nine moves Haal force pushed Arachni into the path of the flying saber, but Arachni reached his left hand out and snatched the weapon out of the air. He spun around just in time to block Haal who had jumped at him. Arachni had been using only one end of his double edge lightsaber when he caught Haal's other weapon out of the air. Haal reached in and grabbed Arachni by the left arm when he blocked the right; he twisted his arm and tried to cut off Arachni's arm, but he vanished again. Haal began twirling his saber from side to side and when Arachni reappeared he unleashed a force wave that threw Arachni to the ground and wrecked the cargo hold. When Arachni hit the floor he swept Haal's feet from under him and swung his left sword, but Haal rolled out of the way. They jumped up to their feet at the same and continued their melee; after another nine miuntes Haal managed to kick his lightsaber out of Arachni's hand and that is when he turned his double edge lightsaber into two weapons. Arachni slashed Haal across the chest a cut that wasn't life threatening. Haal summoned his second weapon, but Arachni force threw his right saber and destroyed Haal's weapon as it flew through the air. Haal jumped up and did a spin kick knocking Arachni off balance; when he stumbled Haal tried to finish him off but Arachni vanished again.

"There is no emotion…" Haal said to himself. He closed his eyes and used his mind; Haal felt the force all around him and he dropped to his knees and surrendered himself to the flow of the force. He smiled and stuck the energy blade of his lightsaber out just as the red flash declared Darth Arachni's return. When the light faded Haal opened his eyes and the sith lord was impaled on his energy blade. Arachni grunted and tried to use the last of his strength to kill Haal, but he force jumped off his knees and flipped over Arachni and as Haal was coming down he took off his head. There was a stream of pure force energy that streamed from his body and consumed the entire cargo hold, but Haal Wendu kept himself centered in the force and remained unaffected by Darth Arachni's death.

After gathering his men Haal Wendu returned to the Liberator and he ordered the captain to destroy the Cracken. With the destruction of the Cracken and the death of Darth Arachni the rest of the sith fleet surrendered to the Republic. Sith ships became prison ships to be hauled back to Coruscant for trial. The sith base on the surface of Suuvaf surrendered an hour later and after the base was evacuated it was destroyed from orbit.

"You have done the Republic a great service Jedi Wendu…" Julian Van Mont said via hologram.

Haal Wendu along with the other masters of the council were all together with the fleet commanders giving the supreme chancellor a report. "Thank you supreme chancellor, but it wasn't just me alone… it was a group effort by the fleet and the Jedi…" Haal replied.

["Do not be modest young Wendu… you showed leadership and initiative…"] Gaffeen said speaking; ["…And I think the council will agree when I say that you have earned the rank of Master."] The Masters didn't speak they nodded in agreement with Gaffeen.

Julian Van Mont smiled and said; "Well Master Wendu I look forward to your further exploits on behalf of the Republic and your order…"

Over come all Wendu could manage to say was; "Thank you Grand Master… thank you all…" Haal returned his attention to Mont. "Supreme Chnacellor this planet is uninhabited perhaps the Republic could start a colony on the planet and if the council is in agreement we could build an academy here and start diplomatic relations with the systems in wild space…"

"An excellent idea… Master Wendu…" Vandarr said in approval.

"Master Wendu If the council is in agreement I would like you to oversee the project…" Mont said.

"Supreme Chancellor… with all due respect the council has plans for Master Wendu…" Fiorra Hinn said speaking up; "…As you know there are two sith still out there… two very powerful sith… one of them is Deila Shyren… we would like Master Wendu to lead the search for these two apprentices…"

"Of course… I apologize if I over stepped my bounds…"

Lazz waved him off; "No apology is necessary Chancellor… if you are in agreement we would like to appoint Master Battrice to the colony project…"

"Very well then… when can I expect the fleet's return…"

Admiral Derja stepped forward; "Sir only seventy percent of the fleet will be returning the rest will remain to protect this planet until the colony and local government is established…"

"Very good then carry on admiral…"

It took several hours to organize the fleet for departure; during which time the wookies, Ondaronians, and Telosians had to decide what ships they were going to send home and what ships would be used to help the main Republic haul the sith ships to Coruscant.

Haal Wendu stood on the observation deck of the liberator thinking about his former master Visas Marrs and his duel with Darth Arachni. "What plagues your mind Master Wendu…" Mia Shale asked coming up behind him.

He looked at her and smiled; "Master Shale… I was thinking of my master… Master Visas…"

Mia returned the smile; "I miss her as well…" Haal nodded and returned his attention to the view of Suuvaf below. "Did you know that I was once a sith master?" Haal looked at her and she could sense his shock; "Yes… and it was our former master who who showed me the light…"

"I did not know that…" He replied.

"Many thought I was dangerous… and shouldn't be trusted… it was she who told me to take everything the sith taught me and do the opposite and she also said to not allow everyone's opinion of me to sadden my contenace… she taught me to prove my worth through my actions and service to others… You haven't honored her by killing Darth Arachni… honor her by being an upstanding Jedi and passing those lessons on to the next generation of Jedi…"

His chest swelled up at her words; "I shall Master Shale…"

"I didn't just come here to council you… I also came here to tell that after a brief meeting the council has decided to give you complete authority in reguards to Deila Shyren and Darth Caos… Chose any Jedi you wish in your quest and above all be careful…"

"I will master…"

As Mia Shale walked off the Liberator and most of the fleet left Suuvaf for Coruscant where the surviving sith fleet personell were put on trial for their crimes against the Republic.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 25. There must always be a Darth Traya

Darth Traya sat alone in her private study writing in her journal; a journal meant to be read by those who took her place as master of Trayus academy. She wrote the following:

_It has been two years since Darth Arachni died at the hands of the Jedi Haal Wendu and now his apprentice Darth Caos has taken the title Lord of the Sith. Under his direction I believe the sith will flourish and return to power. As for me and the followers of my order the order of Darth Traya we will preserve the teachings of the sith and rule the unknown regions from the shadows. The arquillians are still at war and that war must continue or their ambition will stretch beyond the unknown regions into the outer rim and then the core and this I cannot allow._

_I have accomplished all my goals and have preserved the knowledge of the sith; I have also uncovered the true nature of the force and that is the force without limitations. The united force a power that goes beyond the limitations the sith and the Jedi have placed upon it; this knowledge for the time being must remain hidden and known only to the those who carry the title Darth Traya; if this knowledge was common then the galaxy would be torn apart… My daughter Kreia if you are reading this then know that I longed with all my heart to claim you as my daughter but you needed a passion a power and drive to become the new Darth Traya. You had to become your own person and that would not be possible if I doted on you as a daughter… I cry your pardon my daughter and ask that you rule as you see fit and lead the order in the path you choose…Farewell…_

Traya had been writing for hours then she stood up stretched and walked the halls of her academy and as she passed several sith they bowed to her or stepped to the side. She knew many of them wished to leave and test their skills against the Jedi, but if she allowed that then Traya risked the possibility of exposing her academy to the Jedi and that she could not allow. Kreia was away visiting the Arquillian homeworld and most of the academy was heading to the arena for a duel between two masters. Traya wasn't interested because she knew who would win the duel between Harr and an alien master named Shived. She made her way to the balcony at the top level of the pyramid and stared out over her world the world of Sithari.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25. There must always be a Darth Traya

Darth Traya sat alone in her private study writing in her journal; a journal meant to be read by those who took her place as master of Trayus academy. She wrote the following:

_It has been two years since Darth Arachni died at the hands of the Jedi Haal Wendu and now his apprentice Darth Caos has taken the title Lord of the Sith. Under his direction I believe the sith will flourish and return to power. As for me and the followers of my order the order of Darth Traya we will preserve the teachings of the sith and rule the unknown regions from the shadows. The arquillians are still at war and that war must continue or their ambition will stretch beyond the unknown regions into the outer rim and then the core and this I cannot allow._

_I have accomplished all my goals and have preserved the knowledge of the sith; I have also uncovered the true nature of the force and that is the force without limitations. The united force a power that goes beyond the limitations the sith and the Jedi have placed upon it; this knowledge for the time being must remain hidden and known only to the those who carry the title Darth Traya; if this knowledge was common then the galaxy would be torn apart… My daughter Kreia if you are reading this then know that I longed with all my heart to claim you as my daughter but you needed a passion a power and drive to become the new Darth Traya. You had to become your own person and that would not be possible if I doted on you as a daughter… I cry your pardon my daughter and ask that you rule as you see fit and lead the order in the path you choose…Farewell…_

Traya had been writing for hours then she stood up stretched and walked the halls of her academy and as she passed several sith they bowed to her or stepped to the side. She knew many of them wished to leave and test their skills against the Jedi, but if she allowed that then Traya risked the possibility of exposing her academy to the Jedi and that she could not allow. Kreia was away visiting the Arquillian homeworld and most of the academy was heading to the arena for a duel between two masters. Traya wasn't interested because she knew who would win the duel between Harr and an alien master named Shived. She made her way to the balcony at the top level of the pyramid and stared out over her world the world of Sithari.


End file.
